Catching Up: A Revelation From Hinata!
by 4ng3legg
Summary: Continuing from chap 371. Naruto and the other Konoha shinobi race to catch up to Sasuke and his group. Hinata feels impending danger up ahead. Just what can happen when the two groups collide? Hinata expresses a longhidden revelation! naruXhina
1. The Revelation!

In searching for Itachi, Naruto and the other Konoha shinobi ended up finding Sasuke.

"I FOUND HIM!" Naruto yelled as they jumped swiftly through the trees.  
"Way to go, Naruto!" Kiba called, "Which way?"  
"Follow me!" Naruto called as he charged forward. He knew his Shadow Clones knew where Sasuke was too, he figured they were probably surging towards him."Follow any Naruto you see!" Naruto called as he caught up to a couple of Narutos, "We're all going to the same place."

One of the Shadow Clones looked back to the original, "He's got some people with him."  
Naruto grimaced and nodded, "Do we know who?"  
"Can we get some descriptions?" Kiba asked.  
"Two males and a female besides Sasuke." Naruto called, "One is real big, not fat but big. The other is thin but… something about him. Sharp teeth… he's carryin' a real big sword."  
"Not just any sword." A clone interrupted, "Zabuza's sword."  
"Zabuza?" Kakashi repeated, "He took it…? Then he must be…"  
"Who is the girl?" Sakura demanded as she caught up to Naruto.  
The original and the clones shrugged, "Funny colored hair, glasses, short-shorts… I think she has some sort of power though." Naruto said, "She said something before I saw Sasuke, she said, 'There are a bunch of people with identical chakra's all around us.' I think she can sense chakra."  
"Like Byakugan?" Hinata asked.  
"No," Naruto called back, "She didn't have white eyes or Sharingan…"

"How… how old is she? Really old?" Sakura asked non-chalantly.  
Naruto grinned, "Maybe just a little bit older than Sasuke. She seemed real keen to keep up with him." He pursed his lips, "They all did."  
Hinata caught up to the right of the original Naruto, "I…I'll stick by you, Naruto-kun." She said, not looking at him, her face bright red, "As will I." Yamato said, coming up to his left, "Okay?"  
"_Hai_!" Naruto said.

"I wonder who that girl is…" Sakura said to no one in particular.  
"As do I." Kakashi said, his only visible eye cool and calculating.  
"I do as well." Shino said, "Sasuke would be unlikely to surround himself with weak people. Especially since we know he's after Uchiha Itachi."  
"Then that must mean the people that Naruto described must be powerful." Kiba murmured. Akamaru barked and growled.  
Kakashi nodded, "Naruto said the girl seems to be able to sense chakra. She must be the 'extremely talented chakra-sensing type shinobi'. I wonder if that's a bloodline limit or something else…"  
"Something else?" Sakura repeated, "What do you mean?"  
"Think about it, Sakura, where could Sasuke have dug up these people?" Shino asked, "They're probably not people from off the street. They must be people he had been in contact with before he killed Orochimaru. Therefore, they must have been in contact with Orochimaru himself."  
"I see…" Sakura murmured, "Orochimaru was known for experimenting on people. Do… do you think these people are some of Orochimaru's experiments, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes…" Kakashi said softly, "And if they are, then we don't know what we could be dealing with. We have no idea of how powerful these people are and what they can do. Sasuke isn't stupid. He would choose people with specific abilities that would enable him to accomplish his goal – killing his brother, Itachi. If he plans to attack Itachi with only these three other people and himself then he must think they are powerful enough to do it. Besides that, we don't know what they'll be able to do in this situation that we are rapidly approaching."

"Jeez…" Kiba said with a grin, "You make them sound so scary!" He laughed, "Sasuke isn't the only person who has grown up and gotten more powerful, am I right, Shino?" The corners of Shino's mouth lifted slightly. "It's been three years since we've seen him," Kiba continued, "and even longer since he's actually seen us in battle. We'll show him something _real_ special, right, Akamaru?"  
Akamaru barked joyfully as they bounded forwards, closer to Sasuke.

Sakura looked back to see Sai following silently, "You okay back there?"  
Sai looked up and gave her a fake smile, "Of course, Sakura."  
She raised her eyebrows, "No need for such a fake smile."  
Sai gave a genuine smile, "I apologize. It's still a little hard for me to show emotion so readily but…"  
"But?"  
"I remember when I saw Sasuke… after I lied to Orochimaru and Kabuto. I remember that Sasuke did some sort of genjutsu on me and…"  
"You're not usually so hesitant." Sakura said.  
Sai nodded, "I remember that while I didn't actually feel fear when Sasuke did that, my body showed signs of fear. Sweating… some trembling. I, instinctively, felt a fear of Sasuke because of the shear force of his power. I wonder just how powerful he has become since he left Konoha. I was told that he was strong before he left."  
Sakura sighed, "I've been wondering that too."  
"I think we all have." Kakashi said.

Ahead of them, Naruto, Hinata and Yamato sped forward, "Keep up!" Naruto called back to the lagging group, "Or meet us over there!" He nodded to one of the clones and the clone slowed his pace to allow Kakashi and the rest to catch up, "Lead them to us." Naruto called to his clone.  
"Hai!"  
All in agreement, the three sped up. They began to pass many Naruto clones, "He's moving!" Some said as they caught up, "Fast! Along with the other three!"  
"Any idea of who they are?" Yamato asked a clone.  
"No. No idea. Never seen them before in my life. Just the sword the sharp-toothed one is carrying."  
"Hmm…" Yamato murmured, "Wasn't Kakashi-sempai saying something about him?"  
"I'll ask him." Naruto said.

Alongside Kakashi a Naruto clone asked, "What were you going to say about the guy with the sharp teeth carrying Zabuza's sword?"  
"Ah." Kakashi said, "Suigetsu… they called him the second coming of 'Zabuza the Devil'… which might explain why, if it's him, he took Zabuza's sword from off his grave."  
"What else do you know?" the Naruto clone asked.  
"Not much." Kakashi replied.  
"He was one of the Hidden Mist's Houzuki Brothers." The original Naruto said to Yamato, "That's all Kakashi-sensei knows."  
"Hmm…" Yamato murmured.  
"_Byakugan!_" Hinata said, "There… I see them!"  
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked.  
"Hai!" Hinata nodded, "And the three others. They're being pursued by your clones, Naruto-kun. But they don't seem to be slowing."  
"I'll slow them down…" Naruto growled, his teeth felt as though they were sharpening and there was a boiling heat in the pit of his stomach.  
"Calm yourself, Naruto." Yamato said, touching his shoulder, "You're stronger than the Kyuubi."  
Naruto breathed deeply, "Y-yes, Yamato-taichou."

"We're closing in." The Naruto clone told Kakashi and the others, "Hinata-kun sees them ahead."  
"Yes!" Kiba crowed, "Go Hinata! Come on, guys! We can't lag behind Naruto and Hinata! Let's go, Akamaru!"  
Up ahead, Hinata shuddered, "N-naruto-kun! Yamato-taichou! There… there's something else."  
"What?" Yamato asked, "What else?"  
"We… we're being watched… maybe… maybe followed. I… I can't get a hold of… him… of them…"  
"Them?"  
"Hai! There are… two… yes! Two! I…" She blinked rapidly, the sweat getting into her eyes, "I think it might be Akatsuki!"  
Naruto grimaced, "Earlier a clone of Itachi approached me… one of my clones..."  
"What?"  
"He said he only wanted to talk but then he disappeared saying he had a very important matter to deal with."  
"So they're in this forest along with Sasuke and his group… and us and our group." Yamato said, a slight grin playing on his lips.  
"What's so funny?" Hinata asked.  
"Sounds like a party…" Yamato said.  
"Yea…" Naruto said, grinning, "This will be fun."  
Hinata tried to grin but couldn't help feeling that something bad was going happen.

'Another chance…' Naruto thought, 'Another chance to talk to Sasuke… to convince him… to beat him into submission… if I have to.'

Suigetsu caught up to Sasuke, "Who're these shadow-clone guys who are running along side us?"  
"One guy." Sasuke said, "A guy I used to know."  
"Just some acquaintance?"  
Sasuke's eyebrows rose slightly, "Three years ago… I called him my best friend."  
A Naruto clone jumped down from above, "And since we're getting to know each other," He said just before Sasuke sent a Chidori-shock punch his way, causing him to disappear in a small cloud of smoke.  
"What's your name?" Another Naruto clone said, jumping along side Karin.  
She yelped and kicked him away, "Why are there so many!?" She screamed, "They're like… like… a lot!"  
Suigetsu snickered, looking back at Karin, "What's the matter, Karin? Scared of some shadow clones?"  
He turned forward just as three Naruto clones jumped in his face, "Karin. Thanks! And your name must be Suigetsu."  
Suigetsu screamed. "Sweet Ninja Jesus!" He cried as Sasuke took out one of the clones.

The other two clones laughed and bounded away from Sasuke, "I've got two names! What's the big one's name, Sasuke?"  
Sasuke ignored the taunting Naruto clones and kept moving forward, "Just because they're Shadow Clones doesn't mean they can't do you any harm." He said, "Naruto… he's got a way with Shadow Clones…"  
"He must." Juugo said, "I've never seen anyone who could create so many Shadow Clones. There doesn't seem to be an end."  
"Thanks." A Naruto clone said from beside him, "And you're right. There is no end. But enough about me. What's your name?"  
Juugo's eyebrows rose, "Why do you want to know our names?"  
"Maybe I know something about you if I know your name." The Naruto clone said honestly, "Like… what you can do… what your abilities might be. How to defeat you if I have to battle you. Things like that."

"Hmph…" Suigetsu said, "How'd you know my name? I didn't say it out loud."  
"Your sword." The Naruto clone said, keeping up with Sasuke's group, "I'd met the man who wielded it – Zabuza of the Hidden Mists. I was there when the sword was placed near his grave."  
The Naruto clone nodded towards Karin, "And I know she can sense chakra and all four of you had some contact with Orochimaru which means that all four of you might have been experimented on at some point."  
"You know a lot." Juugo said.  
"Except your name. Wanna tell me?"  
Juugo grinned, his face covered with black marks.  
"Cursed Seal." The Naruto clone said as Juugo lunged forward and shoved his fist through his chest.  
The clone disappeared.  
"Calm down." Sasuke commanded Juugo.  
Immediately Juugo calmed and the marks vanished, "Keep your cool." Sasuke told them all, "He's trying to cause you to slip up so you would tell him something he doesn't know. And now he knows he's dealing with someone like you, J…" Sasuke stopped and almost smiled, "Almost got me, Naruto."  
"I know it starts with a J…" Several Naruto clones sang from the shadows.

"What kind of name is KARIN?" Sakura grumbled.  
"I'm not sure what it means…" Sai said, "It sounds like a normal girl name to me…"  
"Hmph…" Sakura grimaced.  
"If it makes you feel better, she's probably more pig-faced than you, Sakura." Sai said.  
Sakura glared at Sai, "I'm going to choose to let you live, Sai!"  
"Sasuke almost said the big one's name. Starts with a J." The Naruto clone said, "He's got a Cursed Seal. Not to mention the fact that Hinata senses some Akatsuki members. One of the other clones was approached by an Itachi clone earlier. It's probably him and Kisame."  
"Seems like everyone was invited!" Kiba called. The Naruto clone laughed, "Let's break out the ramen and kick some ass!"  
"Ah-whoooo!" Kiba, Akamaru and Naruto howled.

Sakura sighed, "Those guys…"  
"It seems like they are too spirited for such a serious event." Sai said.  
"They're nervous." Shino said, "They don't want to admit it, though."

Sasuke sighed, "Stop!"  
The group jumped down to a clearing in the forest.  
"Why're we stopping?" Suigetsu asked as several Naruto clones surrounded them.  
"Because we'll never escape them by just running." Sasuke said, "Where's the original?"  
"I'm right behind you."

Sasuke turned to see Naruto standing at the edge of the clearing. Behind him were Hinata and Yamato.  
"Hyuuga Hinata? I'd have thought Sakura would be beside you."  
"She's here." Naruto said.  
"And you're the guy filling in for Kakashi, right? Is he sick or something?"  
"He's here too." Yamato said.  
"Who else is here?" Sasuke asked.  
"You'll see." Naruto said.

"You're becoming a hinderence." Sasuke said, "Orochimaru stopped me from destroying you the last time we met. But he's not here to save you."  
"Save me?" Naruto sneered.  
"You'll not hinder me any longer, Naruto. I've given you several chances to stop this idiotic chase but you have made your choice known. So… in order to stop you, Naruto, I must kill you."  
"You say it like it's gonna be easy." Naruto grinned, his eyes red.  
"I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that, Sasuke." A voice said from the shadows.

Red eyes with that familiar mark!

"Itachi!" Sasuke and Naruto declared.  
"Naruto-kun is the prize of the Akatsuki. The last Jinchuuriki. The Kyuubi. If you kill him, well, we don't know what could happen to the Kyuubi. Therefore, I cannot allow you to kill Naruto-kun." Itachi said calmly as he walked between Sasuke and Naruto.

"That's ok." Sasuke growled, "I'd much rather kill you."  
Suddenly, Suigetsu flashed and a long, thin blade appeared in his hands, "Don't worry, Sasuke! I'll do it for you!"  
"Wait!" Sasuke called, too late.  
Suigetsu stabbed the blade through Itachi and he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.  
"A clone?"

"H-hinata…?" Naruto whispered.  
Hinata had seen with her Byakugan that it was a regular clone – no chakra, no substance. Briefly she wondered why Uchiha Itachi would send out a simple diversion.  
Then she saw the blade in Suigetsu's hand, she knew he would attack the Itachi clone. She knew it would disappear and the blade would find its way into the next figure, standing behind Itachi – Naruto!  
Her legs moved of their own accord. She jumped in front of him and the blade pierced her skin and then went deeper.

Naruto saw a flash of dark hair, the smoke from Itachi's clone disappearing. He felt a scratch on his stomach.  
A part of him felt relieved for a moment. When he realized the Itachi clone had disappeared he thought the blade would stab him!  
But then… he realized Hinata was standing in front of him. The tip of the blade was poking out from her back – Suigetsu had stabbed completely through her body!  
Hinata's breathing was labored. She wondered what had stopped Suigetsu from stabbing deeper.  
She looked up to see Sasuke's hand on Suigetsu's – he had stopped the blade from going deeper and stabbing Naruto behind Hinata.  
Sasuke grimaced at Hinata. She bent her head and coughed. Blood splattered on the blade and on Suigetsu and Sasuke's hands.

"What… what have you done?" Naruto said, looking from Suigetsu to Sasuke.  
Sasuke's face tightened and he pulled the blade from Hinata's body.  
She screamed and collapsed. Yamato moved to her side.  
"Move!" Sasuke said. Karin and Juugo jumped up into the trees. Suigetsu stared at the girl on the floor.  
"Move." Sasuke said, shoving Suigetsu.  
He nodded and jumped into the trees.

"SASUKE!" Naruto roared, "SHE IS AN INNOCENT! SHE ONLY WANTED TO HELP YOU RETURN TO KONOHA!"  
"No!" Sasuke said, turning his back to Naruto, "Hinata has no concern for me. She didn't jump in the way of the blade for my sake. She did it because people always seem to want to sacrifice themselves for you, Naruto. Don't blame me. Blame yourself." Sasuke jumped into the trees.  
"I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS, SUIGETSU!" Naruto screamed, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"  
"Follow him!" Naruto yelled to his clones, "Don't lose sight of them!"  
Several clones nodded and jumped into the trees after Sasuke.

"N-naruto-k-kun…?" Hinata whispered, her white eyes half-closed.  
"Hinata…" Naruto murmured, kneeling beside her, "I'm… I'm so sorry! Why… why did you do that?" He asked, taking her hand in his.  
Yamato stepped back, "Stay with her, Naruto. I'll get Sakura."  
Hinata lifted her other hand to Naruto's face. Her fingers traced his whiskers, "I… I love you… Naruto-k-kun… I did it… because… I… love you."  
Her fingers grew limp and her hand dropped to the ground.  
"N-naruto…?"  
"Hinata…" Naruto sobbed, "Don't… don't die, Hinata!"  
"I'm sorry…" She whispered, "I… was too… scared… to tell you… for so long…"  
"No, no." Naruto's tears dripped onto her face, "Save your strength."  
"I love you." Hinata whispered so softly Naruto almost didn't hear her.

Naruto touched his forehead to hers and sobbed.  
"Move!" Sakura said, appearing from the trees and shoving him away.  
She hunched over Hinata's body.  
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said between sobs, "Is… is it too late?"  
"What?" Sakura said distractedly.  
"Hinata!" Kiba called, landing nearby atop Akamaru, "Is she okay?"  
"Hinata…" Shino murmured.

"Please, Sakura-chan! Is she going to be okay?" Naruto begged, "She has to be!"  
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, "It must be a miracle! The blade didn't hit any vital organs! She's lost some blood and she's in shock but she should be okay! We have to get her to a hospital, though!" She said as she used her medical jutsu on Hinata's wound.  
Naruto sobbed and buried his face in his hands.  
"It… it's going to be okay, Naruto!" Kiba said, rubbing his eyes, "Didn't you hear Sakura?"  
Shino cleared his throat.  
Naruto nodded from behind his hands.  
He uncovered his face and wiped his tears on his sleeves. He bent to Hinata's face and gently kissed her lips.

Sakura's eyes grew wide and Shino nodded slightly and turned away.  
Kakashi coughed and Yamato suddenly engaged Sai in a conversation about the weather.  
"Weather?" Sai asked, staring pointedly at Naruto and Hinata.  
Kiba stood in shock, his jaw nearly touching the ground. Akamaru barked and nudged Kiba.  
"We've got to take her to a hospital." Naruto said, picking Hinata up, "Where's the nearest one?"  
"N-naruto…?" Hinata murmured, "You… you must not stop your mission... please…"

Naruto hugged her close to him and touched his cheek to hers, "I have to make sure you're going to be okay, Hinata." He said, "I have to know that when I return, you'll be waiting for me – safe and healthy. Free of stab-wounds."  
Hinata closed her eyes and smiled, "I'll wait for forever, Naruto… if that's how long it takes."  
"Where's the closest hospital?" Naruto asked again.  
"She should go to Konoha Hospital." Sakura said.  
Naruto nodded, "I'll take her. You follow the clones. They're still chasing after Sasuke." Naruto turned and walked a few steps, "Oh… and the big one – his name is Juugo."

Kakashi touched Naruto's shoulder, "Maybe someone should go with you. Akatsuki is still after you, Naruto."  
Naruto shook his head, "I'll travel with some clones. Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it. I'll catch up with you."  
Naruto nodded to the others and jumped into the trees, moving swiftly towards Konoha.  
"Hinata." Naruto said as he sprang through the trees.  
"Yes?" Hinata whispered, breathing slowly.  
"I… think… I think I could fall in love with you!" Naruto declared, his cheeks burning red.  
Hinata let out a laugh that ended in a groan, "Maybe… I shouldn't laugh."

"But…" Hinata said, "That's nice to know."  
Naruto stopped and landed on a high branch.  
"What… what's wrong? Why're you stopping?" Hinata asked.  
Naruto smiled down at her, "Because…" He leaned down and kissed her.  
Hinata's eyes grew wide and her limbs went rigid… for about a second!  
She touched his cheek and kissed him back.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate any reviews - I'm doing my best to become a better writer so I need all the help I can get. 

Also: I know Suigetsu has Zabuza's sword so you're wondering why he used a long thin blade when he attacked Itachi - WELL, I figured he thought he would need a fast attack and in the manga, he's having a hard time handling Zabuza's big sword (that... didn't sound right.) so I think he would take that into account and use a faster blade for this particular attack. Um, I guess he's hiding it somewhere. Hah! So thats my explaination.

I listed this as 'in progress' but I don't know if I'll be adding more to this story. I might. I'm thinking it over. If I do, I probably won't continue in the line of how the chapters could continue. I'd probably do a sequal concerning Naruto and Hinata's relationship. Tell me if that's something you'd want.  
Thanks again!


	2. Dating!

It had been a few weeks since Hyuuga Hinata had stepped in front of a blade for Naruto. Her wounds had healed quickly thanks to Sakura and her medical jutsu on the field and Tsunade-sama, the Fifth Hokage, who had watched over her carefully when Hinata was in the hospital.

She remembered the look on Tsunade-sama's face when Naruto had taken Hinata to her office instead of the hospital.  
"_NANI_!?" Tsunade-sama had roared, "Who do you think you are, Naruto!? Kicking in _my_ door…" Then she saw Hinata in his arms, "WHAT HAPPENED!?"  
"Baa-chan, Hinata's been stabbed! Sakura did what she could but Hinata needs your help!" Naruto had explained quickly as he laid Hinata on the Hokage's desk.  
"N-naruto-kun…" Hinata was saying, "I… I don't think you… uh, should, uh, bother the… Hokage-sama…"  
"Naruto!" Tsunade had snapped, "Does this _look_ like a sterile hospital room? Take her to the hospital and I'll meet you there." Her words softened, "I'll help her, Naruto," She said, seeing the look in his eyes, "I promise."

It was something new for Naruto. Something different that Tsunade had never seen before.  
There was an eerie calm in his eyes but it was almost too calm. Naruto was executing immense control over his emotions. But Tsunade could see that there was a fine tremble in his hands.

"I… I can walk… N-naruto-kun." Hinata was saying.  
"Don't be silly, girl." Tsunade shook her head.  
Naruto was looking at Hinata with shock, "I'm not going to let you walk!" He said as he carried her out the door, "WE'LL MEET YOU THERE, BAA-CHAN!" He yelled to Tsunade, "Hinata… you're injured. I promised you I would get you the best care, ne? Who is better than the Godaime Hokage?"  
After Naruto made sure that Tsunade was personally caring for Hinata, he'd left to resume his mission with the others to capture Itachi or, apparently, since they'd encountered him, Sasuke - which ever one of the Uchiha brothers didn't manage to escape.

Now, Hinata waited patiently for word back from the group. She worried, not just for Naruto, but also her own teammates – Kiba and Shino. They were almost like brothers to her.  
Her father visited every day but it was very customary and unemotional. He'd bring her sister, Hanabi but the visits lasted only fifteen minutes or so. They'd make strained small talk and then they'd wish her a full recovery and leave.  
Neji, however, visited her often while she was in the hospital – which was always a surprise to Hinata. And even more surprising was the fact that he would talk openly with her, often mentioning Naruto and how he was sure Naruto was fine and that he would be back soon.

Hinata suspected the news of Naruto's bursting into the Hokage's office with her injured, in his arms, had raced through the village and now rumors were beginning to pop up.  
Hinata's suspicions were confirmed when she over heard a couple of the nurses gossiping.  
"They say the boy flew in through the window and destroyed the Hokage's offices searching for her so she could cure the Hyuuga girl."  
"Hanabi?"  
"No – the older one, Hinata. Apparently, they were on a secret mission and Hinata fought several ninja's in order to save Naruto-kun. She sustained a near-fatal stab wound and Naruto-kun raced, without stopping for hours, to save her life!"  
"OH MY! What a story! Are they in love?"  
"Yes! I hear they even plan to marry – imagine that! The heir of the Hyuuga family married to Uzumaki Naruto!" The two women giggled and Hinata had begun laughing until it hurt – literally.

A few days before she was scheduled to leave the hospital, Neji had come and told her he'd heard that the group was on their way home.  
"Is… is everyone okay?"  
Neji's face looked guarded, "I hear there were some injuries sustained but everyone survived."  
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief.  
"You really care for him, don't you, Hinata-sama?"  
Hinata coughed at the use of the noble-title Neji had begun to use when talking to her.  
"Yes." She'd whispered honestly, "I love him."  
Neji's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped a bit but then he recovered quickly and cleared his throat, "Do… do you think he feels the same way?"  
Hinata had smiled, "Probably not exactly the way I do…" She remembered that Naruto had told her that he thought he could fall in love with her.  
"But?"  
"I… I think he likes me."  
"_Only_ likes you, Hinata-sama?" Neji looked doubtful, "I'd heard rumors that he was head-over-heels in love with Haruno Sakura."  
Hinata allowed a little smile, "And I heard rumors that he flew into the office of the Hokage-sama and that I fought off several ninjas in order to save his life, Neji-niichan. Rumors… ano, rumors are sometimes just stories. I don't… uh, I don't deny that he's probably nursed a crush on Sakura-chan for a long time but… ano… hearts change."  
Neji's eyebrows went up into his hair but he said no more on the subject.

It only served to prove Hinata's point when, on the day she was leaving the hospital, Naruto came to see her.  
Neji had come to escort her home and was standing next to her hospital bed when Naruto burst into the room, "Hinata!" Naruto said, seeing only Neji, "NEJI!?"  
"Naruto…?" Neji replied, "You've returned."  
"Where's Hinata-chan?"  
Hinata poked her head out from the bathroom, "Naruto?"  
She had been brushing her hair and making sure she hadn't left anything behind before they left.  
"Hinata-chan! You're okay!" Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, "I'd been worrying about you throughout the entire mission! Ano-sa, ano-sa! Where're you two going?"  
"Hinata-sama has been released from the hospital, Naruto. I'm taking her home."  
"Released? So, you're all healed?" Naruto asked.  
Hinata blushed and nodded. She tucked her brush into her small duffle bag, "T-thank you, Naruto-kun. You… If you hadn't rushed me… ano… to the hospital…" She blushed a deeper red, "Thank you."  
"Don't thank me!" Naruto said, surprised, "You saved my life, Hinata-chan." He looked at Neji and then back to Hinata, "Ano… could we talk… _in private_?"

Hinata's eyes grew wide, "…yes!" she said as Neji said, "Private?"  
Hinata looked at her cousin, her eyes darting, "Ano… Neji-niichan, I think I forgot to get something from one of the nurses. Could you go check?"  
"What?"  
"Just ask around."  
"Which nurse?"  
"_Any_ nurse, niichan, _please_."  
Neji's sighed, "Uh… fine." He walked towards the door and stopped next to Naruto, "I'll be right back."

Hinata waited until her cousin was out of the door, "What… what did you want to talk about… N-naruto-kun?"  
Naruto grinned, "Hinata-chan, did you think I'd forgotten all about you during the mission?"  
Hinata blushed, "N-nani…?"  
"I remember what you said when I held you on the floor. I remember what I said and I, heh, I hope you remember what I said…" He stepped closed to her, "…before I kissed you in the trees."  
Hinata's face went flame-red. She swallowed hard. "Of course I r-remember!"  
Naruto grinned and held his hand out to her, "Can I walk you home? Maybe, if you haven't eaten, we could stop some place?"

Neji reentered the room, "I checked with all the nurses, Hinata. I don't think you've forgotten anything."  
Hinata blinked at her cousin, "Silly me." She stepped towards Naruto, "Ano… niichan, N-naruto-kun has offered to escort me home."  
Neji's eyebrows lifted, "Then you'll have two escorts, Hinata-sama."  
Naruto looked like he wanted to say something about this but shrugged and took Hinata's hand, "Do you want to stop and eat something, Neji?"  
"At a restaurant? I don't think restaurant food would be good for you right now, Hinata-sama."  
Hinata blushed, "I'm… I'm sure it'll be fine, niichan. Come on, I… I'll treat."  
"No way!" Naruto exclaimed, "I'll treat! All three of us, yea? Come on, Neji – free food. A ninja never passes up free food!"

After that day, Hinata began to see Naruto a lot more.  
He often asked her to eat with him or train or just walk around. More often than she would prefer, Neji would accompany them – their unofficial chaperone.  
Most of the time he invited Tenten, who would try to divert Neji's attention away from his cousin and Naruto, much to Hinata's grateful surprise.  
Hinata supposed it was inevitable that Neji begin to report to her father and he began asking questions about Naruto.  
He even asked Naruto, himself, if he'd like to train with them.

During a break from their training while Naruto and Hiashi chatted about the long-past battle during the infamous Chuunin Exams between Naruto and Neji, Hinata murmured to Neji, "Niichan, why've you been talking to my father about Naruto?"  
Neji shrugged, "He asked me who you've been seeing so much lately and I told him the truth. He seems a little surprised that it was Naruto."  
"Ano… why?"  
"I'm not sure. Something about Naruto… the chakra he had displayed during our match so long ago."  
"C-chakra?"  
Neji nodded, "Don't you remember? I'd hit all of Naruto's tenketsu's and he still managed to use this red chakra. He was filled with it."  
Hinata blushed, "Ano… I… I didn't see your match, Neji-niichan."  
"Oh."  
"Not… not because I didn't want to. I… uh… got sick. Kiba told me, later, that I fainted and a nearby ANBU had helped heal me. I missed your entire match, niichan."

It was Neji's turn to blush, "Why'd you faint?"  
Hinata coughed, "Injuries… I'd sustained earlier."  
Neji flushed and shook his head, "I'm sorry."  
Hinata shook her head, "It's all forgotten, niichan! Don't, uh, don't worry about it."

Neji looked over at Naruto. He was motioning wildly, "The idea just came into my head. I knew Neji's defensive move would probably be more powerful than my offensive so when we were thrown back, I created a shadow clone and dug underneath until I heard Neji's footsteps above me. I knew the only way I could win was to catch Neji completely off guard. He'd never expect me from below especially since he thought I was knocked out…"  
"I admit you won, Naruto." Neji interrupted, "But I'll never let you catch me off guard like that again!"  
Naruto grinned, "You watch your words, Neji or you'll be eating them."

After training, Naruto invited Hinata out for a movie.  
"Neji told me he's got a mission today so he won't be able to… come with us." Naruto said with a grin.  
Hinata smiled as she walked Naruto to the front gate of the Hyuuga house. She stepped out with him, "W-what time?"  
Naruto checked his watch, "How about in an hour?"  
Hinata nodded.  
"I'll be here in an hour, Hinata-chan. Okay?" He leaned in and grazed her lips with his.  
Hinata fingers fluttered and landed on his shoulders.  
"Hinata-sama?" Neji called from within the gate.  
Naruto sighed, "He's got great timing."  
"Ano…" Hinata sighed, "I don't think its timing. I think he's using his Byakugan to see through gates."  
Naruto started, "What!? That's cheating!"

Hinata smiled, "In an hour, ne?"  
"An hour." Naruto kissed her again as Neji called for Hinata again.  
Naruto flicked off the gate in the direction Neji's voice was coming from.  
"I saw that, Naruto!" Neji yelled.  
Naruto laughed and jumped away.

"Hinata-sama," Neji said as Hinata reentered the yard, "Your father is looking for you."  
"Hai." Hinata said absently, "Thank you, niichan."  
Neji watched his cousin as she practically floated away into the house.

"Yes, Father?" Hinata asked, finding her father in the training area.  
"Ah, Hinata. I promised Hanabi that I'd take her to her favorite restaurant if she made good grades and she has fulfilled her part of the bargain. Would you like to join us?" Hiashi asked.  
Hinata pursed her lips, "Ano… I… I think I'll stay in, Father. It was a busy training session. I'd like to have some time to myself."  
"Of course. Well, then, good night, Hinata. Rest well."  
"Arigato, Father."  
Hinata rushed away, nearly colliding with Neji in her hurry.  
"You're staying in? You'll be practically alone, Hinata-sama. Maybe you should stay with a friend." Neji said, revealing that he'd overheard her conversation with her father.  
Hinata nearly laughed, "Don't worry, niichan. I'll be fine. Just fine."

Hinata slipped a sign on her doorknob, "Sleeping! Please Be Quiet!"  
It was five minutes until she was due to meet Naruto and she was slipping out the window when she heard a knock at the door.  
Hinata stifled a gasp and nearly fell out.  
"Hinata-sama? Your father and sister have already left, and I'm leaving to meet my team members." Neji called from outside the door.  
"Have a safe mission." Hinata called from the window.  
"Hai. I'll let you get back to resting." Footsteps sounded and Hinata used her Byakugan to make sure Neji was walking away from the door.  
She wondered, as she slipped out and landed gracefully on the ground, why he hadn't used his Byakugan on her in her room but figured he was being polite.

Hinata slipped out the back entrance of the Hyuuga yard and crept around until she reached the front.  
Neji was walking out the front gate. He headed towards the village entrance.  
A movement in the corner of her eye, caused Hinata to look up.  
Naruto was standing far above the house, watching Neji walk away from the house.  
Hinata waved up at him and Naruto jumped down to her, "Come on, before Neji decides to take one last look back." He took her hand.  
Hinata giggled and followed him willingly.

During the movie, Naruto kept his arm around her shoulders and Hinata rested her head on his.  
Afterwards, they walked hand-in-hand around the village looking for some place to eat.  
"We can just go to Ichiraku, N-naruto-kun. It's your favorite, ne?" Hinata suggested.  
"It is." Naruto agreed, "But I, uh, I don't know. It's small. Not very private."  
"We can take it to go, ne? And… uh… go somewhere… uh, that is private?" Hinata suggested.  
"Where do you think…?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Hello!" A voice caught their attention.  
Sai approached the two, "How are you, Naruto? Ah… Hinata…chan?"  
"Fine." Naruto said, "What's up?"  
"I was just sketching." Sai said, holding up a sketch-pad, "And I finally realized it was going to get dark soon. I'm going to get something to eat. Would you like to join me?"  
"We just ate." Naruto lied neatly, "But thanks for inviting us." He ushered Hinata around Sai, "We'll see you later, ne? Enjoy your meal!"  
"Ah… you're on a date!" Sai finally realized, "Oh! Ok. Have fun, Naruto. Hinata-chan."  
Hinata blushed, "Goodnight, Sai-kun."

When they were out of earshot, Naruto pulled Hinata to the side of the street.  
"Somewhere private?"  
Hinata laughed, "I don't think this is one of those places, Naruto."  
Naruto grinned and shook his head, "What did you have in mind?"  
Hinata blushed suddenly, "Ano… how… how about your apartment, Naruto…?"  
Naruto touched her nose, "You're cute when you're nervous. Let's go."  
He led her through the village towards Ichiraku.

"Hey, Naruto!" Kiba called, approaching with Akamaru, "What's…?"  
"Another time, Kiba! See you later!" Naruto called, rushing past him.  
"Is there an emergency? Is Akatsuki attacking?" Kiba asked.  
"Bye, Kiba-kun!" Hinata called.  
"What's the rush!? Where's the fire!?" Kiba called, annoyed, "Ano… Akamaru, were Naruto and Hinata holding hands?"  
Akamaru barked.

"Naruto. Hinata." Shino appeared before them.  
"HEY!" Naruto cried, "What're you doing? I could have run over you! Get out of the way, _baka_! We'll see you tomorrow!"  
"_Gomen_, Shino-kun." Hinata called as Naruto led her around him, "See you tomorrow."  
"You shouldn't ignore a friend when he's trying to talk to you, Naruto." Shino called, "Because then that friend could be very annoyed later."  
Naruto gave Hinata an uneasy look, "How do you deal with his moodiness?"  
Hinata laughed, "He's not so moody with me. A little with Kiba-kun."

Finally, they'd arrived at Ichiraku, "Hey, Old Man! Two large ramen bowls! To go!" Naruto called as he entered the small restaurant.  
"Hey, Naruto." Chouji called. He was already eating a bowl of ramen, "Two ramen bowls? And everyone calls me… _chubby_!"  
Naruto grimaced, "They're not both for me, Chouji and everyone calls you…"  
"Naruto, I haven't seen you in a while." Shikamaru said, walking into the restaurant, "Hey, Chouji, Ino's looking for you. Said something about a diet and exercise plan she drew up for you."  
Chouji paled and downed the rest of his ramen, "See you later. Thanks for warning me, Shikamaru. I'm gonna go find a place to hide!" Chouji called as he slipped out of the restaurant.  
"Ah! I wasn't warning you, Chouji! I was sent to bring you in! Hey! Come back! If I return empty-handed, Ino's gonna yell at me forever!" Shikamaru called, running after him, "Jeez! You know I can't stand chasing things, Chouji! How troublesome! Stop running! _STOP RUNNING!_"

"Hey, Naruto. Your order is ready." Teuchi, the owner, called.  
"Is it just me, Hinata-chan, or is today turning out to be very strange?" Naruto asked as he paid for the ramen, "Let's get out of here before something else strange happens."

_To be continued_.

* * *

HEY! Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated!

So, actually, I enjoyed writing this. I think its like a little piece of normalness... well, as normal as it can be with ninjas and stuff.  
But I like the idea of Neji becoming a big-brother type. Always watching! And I wanted to show that a relationship wouldn't just appear from Hinata saving Naruto's life. They would get to know each other and date (with Neji?)  
Plus, I'd just recently seen the OVA short about the teams competing in the Konoha Sports Festival and I loved the idea of everyone showing up. (Yondaime walking around and Haku, Gaara and Itachi waiting in the bathroom line with ANBU right behind him is so cute.) So i had most of the chuunin's show up. (I was going to say 'genin's' but they're not!) But wait... Ino didn't show. (Not technically, but she was mentioned. She sent Shikamaru to round up Chouji.)  
What about Sakura?  
Ah ha... I didn't add her in for a reason. What reason!? You'll have to wait and see.  
Ano, I know its not action-packed but it is leading somewhere, I PROMISE!  
Perhaps somewhere FLUFFY!?  
You'll have to wait!!! Ooh the suspense! Weeeee!

Thanks again for reading!  
-4ng3legg


	3. The Necklace!

Hinata awoke with a smile.  
Sunlight poured into the small apartment.  
Half beneath her, Naruto shifted slightly in his sleep.  
Hinata lifted her head and smiled at the sight of the sleeping blonde.  
He slept with a soft smile on his lips.  
Hinata's face warmed at the memories of the night before and she snuggled against him, her head resting comfortably in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

She saw the necklace again – the stone was catching the light of the sun.  
She'd seen it for the first time the night before.  
It had been the only thing Naruto hadn't taken off.  
It was a simple stone, flanked on either side by two round beads.

Hinata touched the stone. It was smooth and warm from the sun and from contact with Naruto's warm skin. It was pretty. Hinata wondered where Naruto had gotten it from. It obviously meant something.  
He didn't try to remove it the night before but he'd been wearing it beneath his clothes. It wasn't something he cared to display.  
Hinata frowned. She wondered if it had been a gift from someone… Sakura?  
Hinata's stomach twisted at the thought of Naruto wearing something that Sakura had given him while he'd been with her. A gift that meant _something_.  
Had Neji been right? Was Naruto head-over-heels in love with Sakura?  
Then why was he spending so much time with Hinata? And the night before… the emotions revealed… the expressions and the words said… those couldn't have been fake!

After escaping from practically all of their friends, Naruto and Hinata had gone to his apartment to eat after having watched a movie together.  
A real date without Neji as a chaperone. A real date and not just a meal or training or a walk around the village. It was a date where the only purpose they had was to enjoy each others company.  
After they finished eating, Naruto had been cleaning up and pushing his table closer to the wall, "It's small." He said, "Probably smaller than your bedroom, Hinata-chan, but I like it. It's mine."  
"I like it, too." Hinata said, "It's cozy. At the house… it's too big. Especially when I'm alone."  
"Do they leave you alone often?"  
Hinata shrugged, "My father spends so much time looking after the clan, training my sister and Neji. Neji spends all his time training or going on missions. It can be a little lonely."  
"Well, you're always welcome here, Hinata-chan. Even if I'm not here. You can just hang out."  
Hinata smiled, "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I'd like that. It's so nice here. I really do like it."

They sat on his bed and started exchanging war stories. They laughed together when they heard a commotion outside and saw Chouji being dragged from a hiding space by Shikamaru and his Shadow Mimic Jutsu.

Sometime around 1 AM, they were talking about the Chunnin Exam that Hinata had taken before she became a Chunnin.  
"I wasn't sure how they would work the exam." Naruto told her, "I thought they might need whole teams again, like last time. Like, Sakura. She took the exam without either of her teammates…"  
Hinata tried to stifle a large yawn.  
"Am I boring you?" Naruto asked with a laugh.  
Hinata smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, "I… I think I could listen to you talk, N-naruto… forever."

Naruto lifted her chin and kissed her, very softly.  
Hinata closed her eyes and returned the kiss.  
She felt strong. Bold. She felt aggressive.  
Hinata's hands moved to the pull of the zipper of his black and orange jacket. She unzipped it and pushed the jacket off his shoulders.  
"Oh," Naruto murmured, breaking the kiss, "Is that where this is going?"  
Hinata blushed in the moonlight and nodded. She unzipped her own jacket and pulled it off, "If… if you're okay with that."  
Naruto smiled gently, "You won't hear me complaining, Hinata."

Hinata smiled in the morning light, remembering when she actually saw the necklace. It swung from his neck when she pulled his shirt up and over his head.  
Naruto ran a hand through his spiky blond hair and tossed the shirt to the floor.  
Hinata noticed it and made a note to ask him about it later.  
She forgot all about it when Naruto pulled her closer, onto the small bed.

Hinata touched the smooth stone of the necklace again.  
It was a pretty thing but was it something from Sakura? From a friend? Or something else?

"Ooo-haaa-yo…" Naruto murmured, yawning.  
Hinata jerked her hand away, "O-ohayo… N-naruto-k…"  
"I think we're past suffixes, Hinata." Naruto said with a smile.  
He yawned again and nuzzled his cheek against her head, "Your hair smells good."  
Hinata smiled and thought that his skin smelled good – something like warmth, soap and Naruto.

She rested her hand on his bare chest, her fingers barely touching the stone.  
"Do you like it?"  
"What?"  
"The necklace." Naruto said, "You keep looking at it."  
"It's nice…" Hinata said nonchalantly, "W-where did you get it?"  
Naruto yawned and stretched, "Granny Tsunade."

"Ah…! What?" Hinata lifted her head and looked at him to see if he was joking.  
"Really." Naruto said, "When we first met. We had a bet. She said I wouldn't be able to master Rasengan within a week. I said three days but it's a good thing she gave me those extra four days." He laughed, "I won."  
"Oh…"  
"It's a chakra stone."  
"A chakra stone!" Hinata exclaimed, "F-from the Hokage-sama?"  
Naruto nodded.  
"Oh!"  
"What?"  
"Ano… I… I've read a lot of the history of… uh, Konoha. I remember… uh, a legend or a myth about the First Hokage… he wore a necklace… a chakra stone…"  
"Yea?"  
"Uh… I just… I remember hearing that it was a chakra stone… and… and Tsunada-sama is the granddaughter of… of… the First. Maybe it's the same necklace."  
"You think so? Cool."  
"I hear its worth a lot." Hinata stretched like a cat against him.

"Do you want it?"  
Hinata laughed and sat up, "No."  
"What?" Naruto asked, his eyes on her long dark hair and the way it hung against the pale skin of her back.  
"I-it's your necklace, Naruto. I'm not going to… to take it." Hinata didn't mention that she'd heard legends of the necklace. She couldn't remember exactly what had been written about the necklace but she recalled the words 'necklace of death'.

'But,' Hinata thought, 'If Naruto has had that necklace since he met Tsunade-sama then he's had it for a while and so whatever curse I'd heard about doesn't seem to affect him.'  
"What if I want to give it to you? You shouldn't refuse a gift, Hinata. It's rude."  
"Ah!" Hinata turned to him, her face pink, "You're calling me rude?" She smiled, "I refuse the necklace, Naruto. I-It's yours! Something of value that you… you shouldn't give to anyone!"  
Naruto pouted but didn't say any more on the subject.

"I-I'd better get home." Hinata murmured, "I doubt anyone knows that I'm… not there but…"  
"Hinata, if you really think no one's gonna notice that you're not there then you should just stay here. We can… have breakfast. Hang out, all day. Train or just do something, you know, without Neji."  
Hinata smiled, "That sounds like fun…"

A knock sounded at Naruto's door.  
The two exchanged a look.  
"Naruto?"  
Neji!

Hinata paled and hugged the bedsheet to her chest.  
Naruto scrambled off the bed, "Neji!?"  
"Hai! Can I come in?"  
"NO! NO! Wait! I… I'm… not… I'M NAKED!" Naruto clutched his hand to his mouth to stop himself from laughing at the situation.  
Neji coughed but didn't say anything.  
"_What is Neji doing here?"_ He whispered to Hinata as he pulled on his pants from the night before.  
Hinata shook her head, _"I… I thought he was on a mission!"_ She whispered back. She grabbed her clothes and tip-toed to the bathroom, _"D-distract him! I'll go out by the window!"_

Naruto nodded and pulled on his shirt, "What… what do you want, Neji?"  
He pulled open the door.  
Neji stood on the other side, "Are… you alone?"  
"OF COURSE I AM! Its… early. I'm… alone. What do you want!?" Naruto stuck his head out the door and looked up and down the hallway, "Is… Hiashi-sama with you? What do you want!?"  
Neji walked past Naruto into his small apartment, "Why would Hiashi-sama be with me?" He looked around the apartment.  
"You have a… _nice_ home."  
Naruto glared at him, "Whaddya want, Neji? I thought you were on a mission."  
"I was. It's finished."  
"In one night?"  
"I'm that good." Neji replied, "I want to talk to you, Naruto."  
"So, talk." Naruto wished he had Byakugan. Then he could see if Hinata had escaped from the bathroom.

"I want to talk about Hinata."  
Naruto cleared his throat, "_Nani_? H-hinata? What… what about her?"  
"I know, Naruto. I know everything."  
Naruto coughed, choking on nothing, "WHAT!? YOU DO!?"  
"Of course! I'm not blind, Naruto."  
'He saw Hinata when he was outside! He used his Byakugan! He's gonna kill me for spending the night with his cousin! Shit!' Naruto's mind raced.

"Hinata fancies herself in love with you, Naruto. She has very strong feelings." Neji continued, ignoring the frantic look on Naruto's face, "I want to ask you if you're leading her on or if you have feelings for her too."  
"What?" Naruto whispered, "That… that's all?"  
"That's all!?" Neji growled, "These are the feelings of my cousin, Naruto. They are important!"  
"I… I didn't say they weren't important!" Naruto protested, "I… what does it matter to you how I feel about Hinata? That's between me and Hinata."  
"I won't let you hurt her, Naruto. If you're just leading her on, I'm here with a warning. Quit it. Stop hanging around so much. Don't talk to her, even!" Neji said, leaning closer to Naruto, "I won't hesitate to hurt you _physically_ if you hurt Hinata."  
Naruto narrowed his eyes, "For your information, Big Brother, I'm not leading her on. I'd do anything for her. If she asked me to stop eating ramen forever or walk on hot coals barefoot, I'd do it. So your warning is unnecessary. Got it?"

Neji crossed his arms, "Just remember what I said, Naruto."  
Naruto rolled his eyes. They came to land on a forehead protector sitting on his nightstand. Naruto stared at it. It wasn't his.  
His face paled.  
"O-okay, Neji. I'll remember. Is that all?" Naruto walked quickly to the door, "I'll see you later, Neji."  
Neji's eyebrows rose, "Hmm…"  
"I've gotta clean up around here so… you… should go. Right? Unless you want to help me out." Naruto laughed lamely.  
Neji regarded him as if he'd just grown an extra head, "Later… then."  
He walked out the door, "Then… I'll tell Hinata you said, 'Hi'."  
"Right. Ok. Bye!"  
"Actually, she said she needed to rest. I'm going to check on her to see if she's okay."  
"Right now?" Naruto asked.

Neji nodded and walked away.  
Naruto sighed and closed his door.  
Behind him, Hinata stood, holding her forehead protector.  
"ARGH!" Naruto cried, "What're you still doing here?" He asked, clutching his heart.  
"I forgot my forehead protector! I…"  
"Neji is going to go see you right now!" Naruto exclaimed, "You've got to be there! Over there!"  
Hinata yelped, "He's going to find out I'm not there!"  
"I know!" Naruto cried, "Ok! It's ok! I… I will distract him. You! Get home!"  
"Hai!" Hinata said, disappearing into a cloud of smoke.  
Naruto pulled on his sandals and ran out of his apartment after Neji.

"Neji! NEJI!" Naruto called, "Wait up!"  
Neji was already walking down the street towards the Hyuuga house.  
"SLOW DOWN!" Naruto roared, "NEJI!"  
Neji stopped and turned around. He saw Naruto jogging to catch up, "What?"  
"I…" Naruto flushed, "I… uh… wanted… to talk to you."  
"About?"  
Naruto's eyes darted, "Uh…" his eyes landed on the Yamanaka Flower Shop, "Plants."  
"Plants?"  
"Yea…" Naruto motioned to the flower shop, "I like plants. I… have something of a green thumb. I, uh, I… do you like plants?"  
"…the hell?" Neji furrowed his brow, "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing… is wrong." Naruto said slowly, "I'd… like your opinion on a plant that… I would like to give… to Hinata."

"Like, flowers?"  
"…yes."  
"You want me to help you pick out flowers for Hinata-sama." Neji said, "Are… you serious?"  
Naruto looked around. It had to have been enough time for Hinata to be close to her house. She was probably already in bed.  
"Nevermind!" Naruto said, "Be on your way! I… I need to pick out flowers." He turned on his heel and walked into the flower shop.

Inside, he peeked out the window and saw Neji standing in the street, staring at the shop.  
He shook his head and walked down the street, his eyes still on the shop.  
"What're you doing?"  
Naruto jumped, "What…? What is it with you girls? Why do you keep sneaking up on me?" He turned to Ino, "I'm not… I was just coming in to look."  
"You want another plant? Like the one you gave Kakashi-sensei?" Ino smiled darkly, as if she knew a secret.  
"No… not right now…" Naruto frowned, "What?"

"I saw someone, today, Naruto. I was outside, watering some of the plants when I saw someone jumping across the buildings. _She_ was coming from _your_ apartment building."  
Naruto paled, "You… saw… her?"  
Ino squealed, "I knew it! I KNEW IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! NO ONE WILL BELIEVE IT WHEN I TELL THEM!!"  
"NO! You… you can't, Ino! Please!"  
"I was wondering why Sakura was running in such a hurry! She didn't want to get CAUGHT! But I saw her with my own eyes."  
"OH GOD, YOU CAN'T TELL ANY… Sakura?" Naruto stared at Ino, "You saw Sakura-chan running from my apartment building?"  
"Don't act like you're surprised, Naruto! I knew Sakura was developing a little crush on you but I had no idea she'd go so far so as to spend the night with you!" Ino squealed again.

"Sakura… was at my apartment…?" Naruto murmured, "But… I didn't see her."  
"What? How can you have not seen her? You already admitted she was there." Ino frowned, narrowing her eyes at Naruto, "Unless… she wasn't the one that you were talking about."  
Naruto ran for the door.  
Ino jumped over the counter and tackled him, "OH NO! YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME EVERYTHING!"  
"There's… nothing to tell!" Naruto grunted, struggling to get away, "No one was at my apartment. I never saw Sakura."  
"Sakura looked strange when I saw her running." Ino said to herself, "She could have been crying but I thought she was laughing. She saw you with someone else, Naruto! Didn't she? TELL ME!"  
"I…"  
"Who was it!? TELL ME!"

"Knock-knock, I'm coming in." A voice called from the entrance, "Hello?"  
Kakashi stood at the door, "I need some plant food…" He stopped when he saw Ino sitting on a struggling Naruto, "What's… going on?"  
"Help me, Sensei!" Naruto called.  
"What have you done this time, Naruto?"  
"WHY ARE YOU BLAMING ME!?"  
"NARUTO WAS WITH A GIRL LAST NIGHT!" Ino yelled, "HE WON'T TELL ME WHO!"  
Kakashi's eye grew wide and he stepped back, "More information than I need to know!"  
"HELP ME!!" Naruto begged, "PLEASE, SENSEI!!!"  
Ino shoved Naruto's face into the floor, "Spill it, Blondie."  
"I can't breathe!"

"You should know, Sensei," Ino said, "I saw Sakura running from his apartment, crying."  
"You were with Sakura-chan?" Kakashi asked, astonished.  
"No!" Naruto cried, muffled, "Get offa me!"  
"Naruto says he wasn't with her but he let out that he was with someone! I think Sakura saw them!"  
"Who were you with?" Kakashi asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Naruto shook his head.

"So you think Sakura is jealous or sad about Naruto being with someone else?" Kakashi asked Ino.  
Ino nodded and pressed her elbow into Naruto's back, "TALK!"  
"You're gonna break something!" Naruto moaned, "Sensei… help me…"  
"Hmm… this is better than my book." Kakashi said, "I'm intrigued."  
Naruto groaned, "I'm gonna puke, Ino… all over you."  
Ino ignored him and pulled his hair, "I'll let you go if you tell me whooo."  
"Sensei!" Naruto grunted, "I'll tell you everything… if you help me!"  
Kakashi looked from Naruto to Ino.

Ino gasped and suddenly found herself sitting on the floor, the door to the shop open and Naruto and Kakashi gone.  
"DAMMIT!"

* * *

Hi-hi!

I gotta say! Writing this is fun.  
It's more fluff than anything else, really. I allude to events happening but I wouldn't call it lemon-y.  
(I know what it means now! Thanks TylerSpikes:P) I guess I'm just not a lemon-y person.  
Its all very lighthearted fare because while I love Naruto and all its emo-ness (that makes me weep) I also love the dopey funny episodes like 101 when they want to see Kakashi take off his mask. (Which I still want to see!!!!)  
Plus, I'm a lighthearted person.

Also thanks to DragonMan180 for ideas!  
And to lonewolf bloodstorm: You're right! As you can see from the story, Sakura saw something! She was crying, apparently, from what Ino sees. So you can probably guess where I'm going with this! (at least, concerning Sakura.)  
Thanks to all the wunnerful people who have commented and so nicely! I was expecting angry flames, "Yar! You suck!"

Thanks for reading! As always, comments are appreciated and enjoyed! Send ideas! Fun ones! More chapters coming!  
...

What is with me and all the exclamation marks!? I'm not this peppy irl. Srsly. oO  
-4ng3legg


	4. Her Sister! His Sensei!

Hinata got to the house without incident but found her window closed and locked.  
"Oh no…" Hinata whispered, "Who would close and lock my window!?"  
She was annoyed. Someone came into her room without her permission.  
Worse, they probably realized she was gone!  
Hinata grew anxious. She had to come up with a good lie.

A face appeared in the window.  
"Aiiieeeee!" Hinata screamed.  
She sagged against the wall, "What're you doing in my room, Hanabi?"  
"Father asked me to check on you. I came in and saw that you weren't in your room _and_ your window was open." Hanabi explained.  
"Open the window."  
"Where were you?"

Hinata narrowed her eyes. She was still the big sister, "Open the window, Hanabi and I won't smack you."  
Hanabi stuck her tongue out and shook her head, "If you hit me, I'll tell Dad!"  
"Not if I knock you out, Hanabi. Open. The. Window."  
"Promise me something! I'll open the window, I promise!"  
"_What?_"  
"Show me how to do that jutsu you created!"  
Hinata frowned, "The _Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou_?"  
"Hai!"  
Hinata sighed, "Fine. Open the window."  
"Promise me!"  
"I PROMISE, HANABI!"

Hanabi unlocked the window and opened it.  
"Thanks, Hinata!" Hanabi scrambled out of the room before Hinata could reach her.  
Hinata was half-way through the window when someone knocked on the door Hanabi had left open.  
Hinata gasped and fell into the room.  
"What. Are. You. Doing?" Neji spoke slowly.

"Neji-niichan…" Hinata stood up and brushed herself off, "What…?"  
"Why are you coming _in_ from your window?"  
"I was watching the sunrise from the roof."  
"Ah… what? Really?"  
"Yes, niichan. W-what do you think I was doing? Sneaking around?" Hinata tried to ignore the anxiety in her stomach.  
"I… I don't…"  
"Please, niichan. I'd like to get ready." She ushered Neji out into the hall, "I'll see you at breakfast, niichan."

She closed the door and sagged against it.  
That was _close_.  
"Hi, Neji-niichan!" Hanabi's voice floated through the door.  
Hinata gasped, opened the door, pulled her sister in and slammed the door.  
Hanabi squealed, "Don't hit me!"  
Hinata put her hand over her mouth, "Shh!" She used Byakugan and saw Neji standing in the hallway, his mouth hanging open from shock. He blinked several times, "This day is getting weirder and weirder!" He said loud enough for Hinata to hear. He turned and walked away.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, "Hanabi! You can't tell ANYONE about this morning or else I won't teach you Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou."  
"But you promised!"  
Hinata narrowed her eyes, "Promise you won't tell anyone about this morning. You didn't see a thing, Hanabi."  
Hanabi pouted, "Why? Are you gonna get in trouble?"  
"Not if you don't snitch. Promise me, Hanabi."  
"Fine. I promise."  
"Good."  
"You're still gonna teach me your jutsu, right?"  
"I promised, didn't I? Get out. And if I hear you snitched on me, Hanabi, you'll be sorry."  
"I promised, Hinata! I won't say a word!" She mimicked zipping her lips shut.

Hinata sighed and watched her sister leave.  
She collapsed onto her bed and wondered how Naruto was doing.

In his apartment, Naruto was tied to a chair.  
"This isn't necessary." Naruto said, annoyed.  
Kakashi sighed, "Well, you tried to escape me when I freed you from Ino's clutches, Naruto. This is just to make sure you don't try that again."  
"Kakashi-sensei…"  
"You said you'd tell me everything if I helped you, Naruto. So talk."  
"FINE." Naruto roared, struggling against the wire Kakashi had secured him with.

"Who were you with last night?"  
Naruto blushed, "Hinata."  
"HYUUGA HINATA!?"  
Naruto blushed a darker red, "Ino says that Sakura was at my apartment this morning. I… I didn't see her but Ino said that Sakura looked like she was crying. Ino said… Sakura had developed a crush on me."

Naruto sighed, "I had a crush on her for so long… and now, when I'm with Hinata…"  
"So you started seeing Hinata after the mission?"  
"Well, yea. She… after she was stabbed, she told me she'd always loved me. After that I couldn't stop thinking about her. I… I wanted to get to know her. I… never really noticed her like _that_. I always knew she was pretty cool but… I would have never guessed that she liked _me_." Naruto's eyes glazed over, "She's so nice and funny. No one ever notices that about her. But she makes these kind of sarcastic comments when no one is paying attention. And… and she's so cute. She's beautiful. She's so kind to everyone. And I like that she's quiet. She's a good listener…" Naruto trailed off, "Uh…"

"Wow, you've got it bad." Kakashi said, "Do you still have feelings for Sakura? Would you leave Hinata if Sakura wanted you to?"  
Naruto looked up at Kakashi, his blue eyes wide.  
"I've liked Sakura for so long… but she's always snubbed me. I… of course I still have feelings for Sakura but… I have feelings for Hinata. We… spent the night together, Sensei. I…" Naruto stopped, "Sakura had her chance. She's still my friend but… last night was… like a promise."  
"A promise?"  
"Hai… we… gave our hearts to each other last night. I know Hinata would never drop me for someone else. I won't do that to her either. I don't want to. I want to be with Hinata, Kakashi-sensei. I love her."

"You don't think you and Hinata are moving too fast?"  
Naruto smiled, "It doesn't feel too fast. It feels right."

"This whole situation kind of reminds me of something, Naruto." Kakashi said slowly, "I… hmm…"  
"What?"  
"I'm going to tell you, I promise, but you have to do something first."  
"What do you want me to do?"  
"It's not what I want, Naruto, it's what you _should_ do. You have to talk to Sakura."  
Naruto swallowed loudly, "Talk… to Sakura? W-why?"  
"You say she's your friend, ne? Ino has a suspicion that Sakura has a crush on you and now she's probably seen you and Hinata. It's going to be tense between you two and you can't go out into the field as a team when the trust between yourselves is deteriorating. This is going to be a matter that Sakura will want to discuss… might as well get it over with."

Naruto sighed, "I was going to hang out with Hinata today."  
"Explain to Hinata what happened. I'm sure she'll understand."  
"…fine…"  
"Good. Find me after you talk with Sakura and I'll tell you a story." Kakashi opened the door to Naruto's apartment, "Good luck."  
"Yea, thanks."  
Kakashi was halfway down the hall when he heard Naruto yelling, "KAKASHI-SENSEI, YOU JERK! UNTIE ME!"

After a shower and a quick breakfast, Naruto went to the Hyuuga house.  
Just as he raised a fist to knock on the gate, Naruto heard a voice.  
"H-iiii, Naruto-kun."  
"Hanabi-chan?" Naruto called back.  
"Hai! I'm practicing my Byakugan! I see you!"  
Naruto smiled in spite of everything, "Do me a favor, ne? Go get your sister, please."  
"Hai, hai." Hanabi pushed open the gate, "You can wait with Neji!"  
Naruto sighed, "Thanks, Hanabi." He said, walking into the yard.

"Naruto." Neji stood with his arms crossed, "You're over here earlier than I was expecting."  
"Yea… I've got to talk to Hinata."  
"About?"  
"A matter that I don't recall concerning you." Naruto said.  
"Where are the flowers?"  
"Nani?"  
"You said you were going to get Hinata flowers." Neji said, "You went into the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Where are the flowers?"  
Naruto paled, "I… I couldn't get them. Kakashi-sensei… came in and… he had to talk to me about something. So… I couldn't get… flowers."  
Neji regarded him coldly.

"Hello." Hinata called, walking out of the house wearing a simple kimono, "Please, come in, Naruto."  
She looked at her cousin, "Neji-niichan, I'm surprised at you. Y-you should have invited Naruto in."  
Neji gaped, "Well… he didn't bring you flowers!"  
"What?" Hinata gave her cousin a weird look, "F-flowers?"  
"_Never mind._" Neji huffed.

Hinata led Naruto into an interior sitting room, "Would you like some refreshments?"  
Naruto shook his head, "We've got to talk." He sat down, "It… it's nothing bad, Hinata."  
"Ah?" Hinata sat, "W-what is it?"  
"Earlier I went to Yamanaka's Flower Shop and saw Ino. She said she saw a girl running across the building-rooftops from my apartment building."  
"What? I didn't run across the buildings-rooftops!" Hinata protested.  
"Ino said she saw Sakura and she looked like she was crying."  
"Sakura…? She was crying?"  
"I talked to Kakashi-sensei. He said I should talk to Sakura. He says we need to discuss what happened so we don't jeopardize the trust in our team."  
Hinata nodded slowly.

"I'm going to tell Sakura about you and me. That I've fallen in love with you."  
Hinata cheeks tinged pink, "Hai."  
Naruto leaned over and kissed her forehead, "Afterwards, I'll come by and tell you what happened, ne? Also, Kakashi told me to see him after. He said something about a story he wanted to tell me."  
"Ok." Hinata said.  
"I'm sorry I'm canceling our day."  
"Don't worry about it. I… I promised Hanabi that I would teach her _Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou_. We can start today, while I wait for you."  
Naruto smiled, "Ok. I'll be back." He stood up.  
"Good luck, Naruto. I hope everything is settled." Hinata said, following him to the front door.

At the gate, Naruto hugged Hinata for a long time, "I _will_ come back for you, Hinata. Don't worry."  
Hinata started to laugh, "I'm not worried, Naruto."  
She said it so convincingly that she almost believed it herself.

* * *

Poor Hinata! She still suffers from a lack of self-confidence. (Much like myself, which is why I like her so much, I think.)  
I'm amused by the fact that Kakashi deemed it necessary to tie Naruto to a chair.  
But its not the first time Naruto's been tied to something, is it?

Har har. OK, so, more than likely, there won't be a chapter tomorrow as it is a busy day for me tomorrow so... extra chapter today! (Since I uploaded the 3rd EARLY this morning!)  
Actually, I'm writing this a lot faster than I thought possible. It's already at 15 - 20 pages in MS Word and that's at size 10 font.  
Sheesh.  
I'm planning on inputting three more ideas into this story... I do plan on ending it eventually, mostly because I like stories to end so I have some sense of closure.  
So you can guess where the story is going.

NEXT TIME:  
A Talk With Sakura!

Also... what is the story that Kakashi is going to tell Naruto!?  
And... just what happened after Hinata left the mission? It doesn't seem as if the groups returned with either Uchiha brother... OR DID THEY!?

-4ng3legg

REVIEW, PLEASE!  
THANKS FOR READING! 


	5. Ino Talks Too Much!

Naruto leaned against the gate of the Hyuuga house and wished he didn't have to do what he was going to do.  
Life shouldn't be this complicated. Sasuke shouldn't be off gallivanting, trying to become more powerful and trying to kill his brother. Sakura shouldn't be immersed in confusing emotions of being in love with Sasuke and beginning to have feelings for Naruto.  
Naruto thought it was strange now but before _that_ mission, he would have done anything for Sakura to like him romantically.  
Now, he wanted her to be happy but more than that, he wanted to be with Hinata.

Naruto returned to Yamanaka's Flower Shop.  
Ino glowered at him from behind the counter, "Don't you walk in here and expect to leave without telling me anything!"  
"Ino, this is serious. Do you know where Sakura is?"  
Ino pursed her lips, "She's not at home? Or maybe with the Hokage-sama?"  
"I'm gonna check there first but I thought maybe, if she isn't there, you'd know someplace she'd likely be." Naruto said.  
"I dunno, Naruto… I guess I could think of some places but…" She disappeared from behind the counter and reappeared in front of the door, "…you have to tell me what's going on."  
Naruto sighed, "Ino, this isn't a joking matter. I've got to talk to Sakura."  
Ino rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay… just tell me who you were with last night."  
Naruto groaned, "Fiiiiiiine. But you can't tell _anyone_."

"Ok!"  
"Promise, Ino!"  
Ino narrowed her eyes, "Okay, okay! I promise I won't tell anyone… _that I haven't already told_."  
"Ok… it was-_WHO DID YOU TELL!?_" Naruto looked around the shop as if someone was waiting to jump out and surprise him.

"Just a couple of people!" Ino said sweetly, "Just Shikamaru… and Chouji… I might have said something to… Sai aaaaaaaand Lee."  
"LEE!?" Naruto screamed, "Ohgodohgodohgod… when did you tell Lee!? Lee… what did you tell him!? IS THAT ALL!?"  
"I don't know! About five minutes before you came in! And… and… I said that you were with a girl last night but I don't know who but it wasn't Sakura and Lee looked relieved at that…" Ino explained, her face pink, "And then he left to meet Tenten and Neji to train."

"NO!" Naruto cried, "OhgodNeji'sgonnakillme!"  
"Whaaat? Why? What did you do…? WERE YOU WITH TENTEN!?" Ino squealed and pointed a finger at Naruto, "YOU WERE WITH TENTEN!!"  
Naruto glared at her, "NO, Ino, I wasn't! Stop coming up with stuff! You're gonna gossip all around town and get my ass kicked, dammit! OK… ok, this is ok, I can fix this…" Naruto clutched his head, "I just have to get to Lee first and tell him not to say a thing to Tenten or Neji. _Especially Neji_ because then Neji will put the pieces together and figure it out… and then I have to talk to Shikamaru, Chouji and Sai and… omigosh… have they talked!? INO!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?"  
Ino danced excitedly, "If you weren't with Sakura, Tenten or _me_ then it must be… _Hinata_."  
Naruto glowered at her, "Yes, Ino. Okay? I was with Hinata and you can't tell ANYONE… EVER! You promised! Not even Shikamaru, Chouji or anyone else!"

Ino pouted, "It's gonna get out anyway, Naruto. This is a big village but news gets around."  
"Don't _say_ that! I don't need Neji and Hiashi attacking and killing me!"  
"Ok… I gotta find Lee." Naruto ran to the door and shot one last look at Ino, "DAMMIT, Ino, you gotta learn to control that big mouth!"  
"Sorr-eee!" Ino called, "Good luck! You're gonna need it!"  
Naruto ran through the streets, "FUZZY EYEBROWS! LEE! ROCK LEE! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Shikamaru was walking ahead, towards the Administration Building, "Shikamaru!" Naruto called, "Wait up!"  
Shikamaru stopped and turned to Naruto. His bored-expression melted away into a sly look, "Well, well, well…"  
Naruto caught up, "I… you and Chouji… Sai…! You can't tell anyone!"  
"Eh?"  
"Ino told me that she told you and Chouji and Sai something… about me." Naruto looked around, "Have you seen Lee?"  
"Oh yea, Ino told us you were with a girl last night… even until… _this morning_." Shikamaru nudged him, "Who was it, Naruto? Sakura?"  
"Ohh god…" Naruto sighed, "Don't you people have better things to do then worrying about my personal life?"  
"Not really." Shikamaru shrugged, "No missions… I'm sure Tsunade-sama will have something for me to do when I get there but for now, I got nothin'."

"Look, Shikamaru, I've got to run but I need you to tell Chouji and Sai to not say a word to anyone about what Ino told you. Please?"  
Shikamaru sighed, "You want me to find Chouji _and_ Sai? How troublesome."  
"Please, Shikamaru! I really need your help."  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Yea, yea, but you owe me. The next time Chouji, Ino and I go out to eat Yakiniku you're paying the bill."  
Naruto growled and said, "Fine." Through his gritted teeth, "Not a word to _anyone_. Got it?"  
"Hai, hai, I'll go find Chouji and Sai. Hey, we can invite Sai and Sakura to eat with us and you can pay for everyone!"  
"You're pushing it, Shikamaru." Naruto said, stomping away.

"Fuzzy Eyebrows! Hey, LEE!" Naruto called, running towards the Hyuuga house.  
Tenten jumped down from a nearby tree, "What're you making all that noise for, Naruto?"  
"Tenten! Have you seen Fuzzy Eyebrows??"  
"Lee? Uh… he's supposed to meet me and Neji here in a few minutes. They're both cutting it, though; they're usually here a few minutes before I am."  
Naruto paled, "I've got to find Lee before he talks to Neji!"  
"Why?"  
Naruto swallowed, "L-last night, I… Hinata and I… we…"  
"… you…?" Suddenly realized dawned on Tenten, "You… oh. OH! Ooooooh!! You and Hinata… _last night_?" Tenten giggled behind her hands, "But why do you have to find Lee?"

"Because Ino blabbed and told Lee that I was with someone last night who wasn't Sakura!"  
"Ah! You think Lee will tell Neji and Neji will figure out who it was!"  
"Exactly! I have to talk to Lee first!"  
"Yea, that'd be bad. Neji would lock Hinata in her room! Forever! And who knows what Hiashi-sama would do if he found out."  
Naruto groaned, "That's why I have to find Lee!"  
"Ok, ok, I'll help you look." Tenten gave him a patented Nice-Guy pose complete with thumbs-up and sparkle-teeth, "It'll be OK!"  
Naruto laughed, "You've been spending too much time with Lee and Gai-sensei."  
Tenten sighed, "I know."  
"I'll go to the Hyuuga house and try to intercept Neji," Tenten said, "You look for Lee!"  
"Hai!"

Tenten ran to the Hyuuga house and found Neji walking out of the gate, followed by Hinata.  
"It certainly looks like an interesting jutsu, Hinata-sama." Neji was saying, "I wouldn't mind learning it."  
"Hello!" Tenten called, running up to them.  
"Tenten? I thought you were going to wait at the usual spot." Neji said, "Where is Lee?"  
"Oh, I thought he was already here. You were taking so long…" Tenten smiled at Hinata, "Konnichi wa, Hinata-chan."  
"Hai, good afternoon, Tenten-chan." Hinata replied.  
"Ah… that's a cute kimono! Not really my style… but it looks great on you."  
"… a-arigato, Tenten-chan." Hinata looked down at the simple kimono.

Neji's eyebrows rose, "Well, let's find Lee and…"  
"Wait a second, Neji! I… I want to talk to Hinata." Tenten gave him a wide smile, "I don't get to talk to her much. I'm always around you and Lee. I have no female friends."  
"Well, Hinata-sama's going to start teaching a jutsu to Hanabi. I don't think she has time…"  
"Sure we do!" Tenten interrupted, "Lee will find us… in a bit…"

Naruto groaned, "Where is that fuzzy-eye-browed, green-wearing weirdo!?"  
He shook his head, "Why am I doing this the hard way!? _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"  
Several clones appeared and immediately spread out into different directions.

Finally, "There he is…" Naruto said to himself.  
Lee was standing at the top with his back to the long stairway at the public park.  
Naruto sighed. He hasn't talked to Neji! One of the clones saw Tenten talking to Neji and Hinata.  
"Lee! Hey, Fuzzy Eyebrows!"  
Lee turned and Naruto saw, standing in front of Lee was Sakura.

Lee looked from Sakura to Naruto, "Ah... Naruto-kun."  
Sakura looked down at Naruto impassively. She tapped Lee's arm, "Thanks for talking with me, Lee-kun."  
"Hai, Sakura-chan."  
Sakura walked down the steps, past Naruto.  
Naruto stood still, looking up at Lee.  
Sakura jumped into some nearby trees and disappeared.

"What… were you talking about?"  
"I saw Sakura-chan sitting here at the top of the stairs, Naruto. She looked very sad." Lee walked down the steps towards him.  
"Look, I know Ino told you about me…"  
"I know you weren't with Sakura."  
"I know… I… you have to promise not to tell anyone about what Ino told you. Not a soul, Lee." Naruto walked with Lee down the steps.  
"Okay." Lee said, "But you shouldn't have worried, Naruto. I don't care to walk around talking about other people's business. Ino told me because I'd come in to buy a couple of flowers… hmm… for Sakura. I suppose she just wanted to tell someone."  
"Thanks, Lee. I… I, just please make sure you don't say anything to Neji."  
Lee's fuzzy eyebrows rose but he nodded.

"Is… Sakura mad?"  
Lee pursed his lips, "I don't know. I was walking to meet Neji and Tenten when I saw Sakura-chan sitting up at the top. I remembered what Ino had said about you being with someone that wasn't Sakura. I wondered why she looked depressed. I went up to talk to her and she said she wasn't feeling well. I didn't tell her about what Ino told me. I gave her the flowers and she thanked me. I told her, maybe she should go home and rest. She agreed and that's when you came."  
"Oh. Ok… well… thanks, Lee."  
"Hai. See you later, Naruto."

Naruto jumped into some nearby trees and Lee continued towards the Hyuuga house.  
Hinata was listening to Tenten as she talked about the first time she met Neji.  
Neji was tapping his foot, his arms crossed.  
"Hello." Lee called, "Sorry I'm late."  
"Lee!" Tenten turned and Hinata took the opportunity to escape, "Is everything… okay?" She winked at him, her back to Neji.  
"Yes, everything is fine." Lee said, his left eyebrow rose, "Do you have something in your eye, Tenten?"  
Tenten sighed, "My eye is fine."  
"Has everyone gone coconuts?" Neji asked, "What's wrong with everyone? You're all acting crazy!"  
Lee shrugged, "I thought we were gonna train."  
"Yea, yea…" Neji grumbled, "Let's go train."

* * *

Everyone is going coco-bananas!  
Lee knows more than he's letting on.  
Tenten is accepting!  
Ino is a big-mouth! 

And I'm a liar!!

Whaaat?  
Yea, I said I wouldn't put an update today... but HERE IT IS! Therefore, making me a liar.  
I don't know what it is. I'm so inspired to write for ya'll! 20 pages in size 10 font! Five chapters! I type a lot!

Well, anyway, i was gonna write how Naruto finds Sakura blah blah blah and then I was like, "Well, maybe he'd ask Ino where Sakura might be and then Ino would reveal that she told people what she knew. So... now Naruto has to find those people and swear them to secrecy!"  
Weeee!  
A part of me hopes that Sai ends up being the one to spill the beans.  
I don't know why. I love Sai and all his Sai-ness. Spilling the beans seems like something he'd do, like, accidentally.

Next chapter, I promise - Sakura and Naruto talk. But... will it be funny? Hope I made ya'll laugh!

-4ng3legg


	6. A Talk With Sakura!

Naruto went to the highest point in the village – the mountain of the Hokages' faces.  
He scanned the village below hoping to see a sign of pink hair.

There!  
On the Administrative Building!  
Sakura was sitting at the edge, looking out at the village.

Naruto jumped down and found himself standing behind her within seconds.  
"Naruto." Sakura said, not bothering to turn around and look at him.  
"Sakura-chan… I…"  
"How is Hinata-chan?"  
Naruto coughed, "She's… fine."  
"Good."  
Naruto stood quietly for a long time.

Finally, he said, "Do… you want to… talk?"  
Sakura didn't say anything.  
"Kakashi-sensei said I should talk to you…"  
"Kakashi-sensei knows?" Sakura turned and looked at Naruto, "You told him?"  
"He saved me fr-uh, he helped me and I told him. He's… you know, like, an uncle to me. I…"  
"What did you tell him?"  
"About me and Hinata." Naruto said, honestly.  
"And?"  
"I…"  
"I know Ino saw me. I'm not blind, Naruto. I, just, didn't care. That's all. Did you tell Kakashi-sensei that Ino saw me? _I wasn't crying._" Sakura stood up, "What do you want, Naruto?"

"I don't want the trust we have between us to dissolve, Sakura-chan. Otherwise, our team will suffer. I don't… want that."  
"_Why_ would it, Naruto? For what reason would our trust dissolve? It's not like I'm mad at your or anything." Sakura clutched the daisies Lee had given her, "I mean, why would I be?"  
"I don't…"  
Sakura's face crumpled and she turned her back to him, "Go away, Naruto."  
"I…"  
"You always bothered me!" Sakura yelled, "You always tried to impress me. I _knew_ you liked me, Naruto. I'm not stupid! So, Hinata comes along and you just forget all about me!" She turned back to him, shaking the daisies at him, "Who do you think you are, Naruto? Nothing gives you the right to play with my emotions!"

"Your emotions!" Naruto exclaimed, "You really want to go there? Yea? Ok - yea, I did try to impress you, Sakura-chan. I never made it a secret that I liked you but you _always_ snubbed me. With you it was always, 'Sasuke this' and 'Sasuke that'. You ignored me and you yelled at me and you, well, honestly? Sometimes you made me feel like crap, Sakura. So Sasuke leaves and then what? You expect me to wait around for you forever? Or what, Sakura? You finally start to like me and then what if Sasuke came back, huh? Would you stay with me?"  
Sakura stared at Naruto, the daisies still in the air.

"I'm sorry you got hurt, Sakura, I am. But I'm not sorry about Hinata. I'm not ashamed or anything. I love her, Sakura-chan. And you know what? She loves me too. Me! Just me. Not because I'm around when someone else isn't. Hinata has always had words of encouragement for me, Sakura. She never calls me an idiot or stupid. She always tells me that I can do my best. She respects me! She acknowledges me! She makes me happy – not just sometimes. All the time!"  
Naruto and Sakura glared at each other until, finally, Sakura sighed and sat back down on the edge.

Naruto stood for a moment and then sat next to her.  
"Do you hate me?"  
Sakura sighed, "No, of course not."  
"Do you… hate Hinata?"  
Sakura sighed again for the umpteenth time, "It's impossible to hate Hinata-chan, Naruto. I've tried."  
"Do you… hate Sai?"  
"Sai?"  
"I'm just askin'."

"I don't hate anyone. Well… no, I'm kind of hating myself right now."  
"I'm sorry."  
"No… don't be." Sakura looked down at the crumpled daisies that Lee had given her, "You're right. I… I'm lonely… without Sasuke. I started thinking that you liked me so much that I should just, you know, give you a try. I'd been thinking about it… a lot. More so since that first mission with Yamato and Sai. I finally decided to ask you out… sort of. This morning."

Sakura touched the bruised petals, "I noticed you'd been hanging out with Hinata a lot more. I just thought that you were being nice since she… you know, saved your life. I… well, I always had my suspicions that Hinata liked you but I brushed it off. I didn't think Hinata would do anything about it."  
"She's the one who told me… she loves me." Naruto admitted.

Sakura looked at him, "She did?"  
"When she was injured. Just before you came and saved her life."  
"And you kissed her. I thought… I don't know, I guess I just though you were thanking her." Sakura sighed, "I've been oblivious."  
Sakura smoothed out the flowers in her lap, "It's just when… I went to your window… I was going to surprise you. And I looked in and there… you were. You and Hinata. I turned and went to the roof of your apartment building. I sat up there, thinking I must be imaging things. But then I saw Neji come to your apartment building and then I saw Neji leaving and Hinata leaving after him. I just ran."

"You went to the top of the stairs in the park."  
"Yea," Sakura nodded, "I kept trying to hate you. Hinata. I was going to tell Neji. I knew Neji would go crazy or something. I cried. I wanted to hate you but I couldn't really find the will. I knew… I knew that you weren't in the wrong. Most of all… I kept thinking, 'What would Sasuke think?'"

"I started to realize that you would never really like me and me alone, Sakura, when I went after Sasuke the first time. When I made that life-long promise. You… were crying. I could see it in your eyes. Your heart… it belongs to Sasuke. I don't know if, maybe, one day it could belong to someone else but… I don't think it will be me." Naruto trailed off.

Sakura buried her face in her hands, "I miss him so much, Naruto. I… I can't stand it."  
"I do, too."  
She rubbed her eyes, "I… when he left, I tried to stop him. I begged him to stay. I pleaded. I… I even told him that I would come with him. I… I begged him to let me stay with him." Sakura's voice cracked, "And I would have, Naruto. I would have!" She sobbed, "If he had let me, I would have followed him to Orochimaru… and I-I would have deserted K-konoha and betrayed you and our f-f-friends!"  
Naruto put his arm around her shoulders.  
"I… think… if he a-asked me to leave now… Naruto… I think… I'd go…" She shook her head, "B-but… he… he wouldn't… let me…" Naruto could barely understand her words.  
"He… he rejected… m-me…"  
"No – don't think like that, Sakura-chan."  
"H-he… did!"

"I don't believe that!" Naruto squeezed her shoulder, "Sasuke… you know that idiot! He always wanted to do things on his own. He just… he didn't want to involve you in all that danger. To be stripped of your friends, Sakura, your family! I'm sure Sasuke just didn't want to put you through that whole ordeal."  
Sakura wept into her hands for several more minutes before she began to calm down.

"He knocked me out, Naruto." She murmured, "He came up behind me and said, 'Thank You, Sakura-chan' and then he knocked me out to make sure I couldn't follow."  
Naruto couldn't think of anything to say.  
Sakura sighed and gathered her crumpled flowers, "You don't have to sit here listening to me cry, Naruto." She gave him a watery smile, "Actually, I kind of want to be alone now."  
Naruto nodded and stood up.  
Sakura grabbed his hand, "Thank you, Naruto… for listening. For… missing him, too."  
"I won't give up on looking for him, Sakura. I promised you that."  
"I know. I won't either." She released his hand, "You… don't have to tell anyone what I said."  
Naruto grinned, "And you don't have to tell anyone what you saw."  
Sakura laughed, "I won't."  
Naruto lingered for a moment but Sakura grew silent. She watched the village below, holding the abused flowers from a friend.

Naruto returned to the Hyuuga house.  
Hanabi opened the gate. She was huffing and puffing, "Good! You're here, Naruto-kun."  
"Eh? What's wrong?"  
"Hinata is teaching… me… the Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou…" Hanabi panted, wiping sweat from her brow, "I didn't know… it would be this hard!"  
Hinata walked out of the house, into the yard. She hadn't even broken a sweat, "You're not going to learn it if you keep asking for breaks, Hanabi."  
"Father doesn't even train me this hard!" Hanabi laughed, "Hinata is a stern teacher," she told Naruto.  
Naruto smiled at her, "Good, if she were a lazy teacher you wouldn't be able to learn."  
"Hai, hai." Hanabi said, "Are… you going with Naruto, Hinata? Are we done for the day?"  
"We only started fifteen minutes ago!" Hinata exclaimed, "You're already tired?"  
"I wasn't ready to train! You caught me by surprise!" Hanabi protest, "I have done any stretches or anything…"

"Ok, ok, we'll start again tomorrow, Hanabi, but early! And you'd better be ready then because I'm gonna pound my jutsu into your head!" Hinata warned her younger sister, "Be ready for it!"  
"Hai!" Hanabi saluted and scurried into the house, "See you later, Naruto-kun!"  
"Bye, Hanabi-chan." Naruto called back.

Hinata turned to him, "Did… you talk to Sakura-chan?"  
Naruto nodded, slowly.  
"I-Is everything… okay?"  
Naruto looked guarded, "A lot of things were said and some tears were spilled. But… we're still friends…"  
"Are you okay?"  
Naruto smiled, "I don't feel awesome but I've got you and you always make me feel better."  
He pulled her into a hug and buried his face in her hair, "Thank you, Hinata."  
"Ano…? For what?"  
"For not choosing me second."  
"What?"

"Nothing." Naruto laughed, "I've got to go find Kakashi-sensei. Do you want to come with me?"  
Hinata nodded, "If that's okay… with Kakashi-sensei."  
"The old guy will be fine." Naruto waved away her hesitation, "Let's go."

* * *

Hi-hi.

So, don't get me wrong, I like Sakura as a character (more than I used to. I always thought she was weak and she has something of an anger management problem but she's gotten stronger and I like that's useful as a medical nin) but I really dislike the idea of her and Naruto as a couple.  
They're more alike than Sakura would probably like to admit and I think she would spend too much time hitting him or something.  
I always disliked the way she called him stupid and all that. I get it from Sasuke - they're like brothers but Sakura as a love intrest just annoyed me.

So, I finally got Naruto to say some things that I've been thinking.

Plus, Hinata is so much nicer. I think she compliment's Naruto's personality more, especially if she gain a little more confidence.

Also, the relationship between her and her sister - well, I'm a little sister and so I know Hanabi's pain.  
I think it'd be a good relationship even though Hiashi thought Hinata couldn't cut it as the heir and began training Hanabi instead.  
I think Hinata would still love her little sister and take care of her and they'd have a somewhat normal sister relationship.  
I think Hanabi respects her older sister because more often than we'd like to admit, we younger ones respect our older siblings - especially the nice ones and I think Hinata would be a cool older sister.

Anyway, this is one of the shortest chapters but I hope you enjoyed it.

This fanfic will eventually end but I have an idea for another one... I'll finish this one and start fleshing out the other.  
See ya'll later!  
-4ng3legg

Next time:  
Kakashi's Story!


	7. Kakashi's Story!

"Where are we going?" Hinata asked.  
"I don't know. To find Kakashi-sensei. He said to find him after I talk to Sakura-chan."  
"Ano… m-maybe he's at the… grave marker…?" Hinata hesitantly suggested.  
"Maybe." Naruto smiled at the quiet girl, "You still stutter."  
Hinata's eyebrows rose, "I… do?"

"It's been ten months since you first told me you loved me." Naruto said, "During that mission. When that sharp-toothed freak attacked you."  
"Has it been ten months?" Hinata wondered.  
"We returned from the mission a month later." Naruto continued, "We've been seeing each other, Hinata for nine months… and you're still nervous around me."  
Hinata blushed, "I… I can't help it. It's still… its still feels so new to me, Naruto. Almost like a dream."  
Naruto pressed a kiss against her forehead, "its ok."

They made their way to the grave marker that honored the fallen ninjas of Konoha.  
Kakashi stood at the marker, staring down at the carved names.  
"Ano-sa, ano-sa, Kakashi-sensei. We're here."  
Kakashi turned slightly, "Hello, Naruto. Hinata-chan."  
"H-hello, Kakashi-sensei."

"Ah… that was fast, Naruto. Did you really talk to Sakura?"  
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Of course I did. Ne, Kakashi-sensei, you sure don't have any faith in me."  
"That's not true, Naruto." Kakashi said.  
"You said you were going to tell me something, Kakashi-sensei?"  
"Ah, yes, of course. Ok – let's go to your apartment, Naruto. You can make us some tea, ne?" Kakashi laughed suddenly, "I'd invite you to _my_ apartment, but it's too small to fit all three of us and I don't think I have any tea."  
"Yea, right." Naruto made a face at Hinata, "_He just wants to mooch off of me._"

At Naruto's apartment, Kakashi sat on the window sill, "It's starting to get cold out, Naruto. Hot tea would make things much more comfortable."  
"Yea, yea…" Naruto grumbled.  
"Why do you get a bigger apartment then me?" Kakashi asked.  
Naruto shrugged, "I'm… better-liked?"  
"Ano… y-you probably don't spend as much time in your apartment, Kakashi-sensei, so you wouldn't need a large one." Hinata suggested.

"I don't spend all my time in here, either." Naruto murmured, "I'm always off training or on missions."  
Kakashi smiled at Hinata, "Hey, Naruto, do you have any cookies? Or snacks? I'm feeling peckish."  
Naruto sighed, "Fine, fine. I think I have some cookies."  
'_My favorite cookies… I don't mind sharing with Hinata but I just know Kakashi-sensei is going to eat them all._' Naruto grimaced, "So, this story, Kakashi-sensei? Go ahead and start."  
"Ah, sure." Kakashi nodded, "So, am I right in assuming, Naruto, that you know who your father is?"  
Hinata gasped and Naruto gripped the handle of the teapot.

Naruto set three small teacups onto the table and filled each with steaming tea.  
He set down a plate with cookies and motioned for Kakashi to sit at the table.  
Naruto sat down and took a sip of tea before he answered Kakashi, "Yes."  
"Y-you do?" Hinata asked, reaching for a cookie.  
Naruto grinned, "Well, I have a strong suspicion in any case."  
Hinata bit her lip, "Then… _who_?"

"Namikaze Minato." Kakashi and Naruto said at the same time.  
"Yondaime Hokage!" Hinata thought about this for a moment, "Well, now that you think about it, it makes sense."  
"How'd you figure it out, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"When I was younger, I always liked to imagine that he was my father since he was such a great hero. But I thought, if he was such a hero and I was his son… then why do people hate me? So I decided, if he was my father, he wouldn't want me to just sit around and let people hate me. I worked hard to make him proud – even if he wasn't my father. Then I thought about the timing. Yondaime Hokage died twelve years ago and sealed the Kyuubi into me – why would he put that kind of pressure on someone else's baby…? No, I figured I was chosen for a reason. I heard he was called The Yellow Flash and I saw his picture. We're both blond and blue-eyed." Naruto shrugged, "Plus, the way Ero-sennin would mention Yondaime-sama… and then he'd give me a look. It just makes sense."  
"You seem to be taking it well." Kakashi said.

"I've already cried about it." Naruto admitted, "I raged and yelled and asked why he – my own father – would put the pressure of containing the Kyuubi on me. I wondered if he knew the village would hate me or if he thought they would think differently. Eventually, I decided that there was no changing the past. Yondaime Hokage has always been spoken of highly, so he must have had a good reason to entrust the Kyuubi to me. I may not understand now, but I think I will, some day."

"You've matured considerably." Kakashi noted, "What's that?" He asked, pointing to one side of the room.  
"What?" Naruto and Hinata turned away from Kakashi and saw nothing.  
"What're you talking ab…?" Naruto looked down and saw that all the cookies were gone and Kakashi was smoothing his mask on his face. Hinata suddenly giggled but said nothing.

"You know who your father is, Naruto." Kakashi said through a mouthful of cookie, "But do you know who your mother is?"  
"No." Naruto admitted, "Yondaime Hokage wasn't married… was he?"  
"Not officially." Kakashi said, "During the Great Ninja Wars, many countries were destroyed or so badly damaged that people moved from them into larger, more stable countries and villages. At the start of the 3rd Great War, twenty-one years ago, a country was near completely destroyed as a declaration of war – The Whirlpool Country. A group of young shinobi escaped the massacre of the peoples and found themselves in Konoha. One of the group was a 17-year-old girl with the name Uzumaki."

"Then she was… my…?"  
"Yes – your mother." Kakashi said, "Her name was Uzumaki Kushina and when they came into the village, she was 17 – already a skilled ninja in her own right. Your father, at the time, was 19. Kushina-chan was several years older than me but when she moved into the village, she was eager to make friends. I remember when I first met her. She was standing in the middle of Main Street, looking around, as if lost."

_21 Years Ago_

"Are you okay? Do you need some help? You look lost."  
Kakashi sighed.  
Obito had stopped to help yet another person for the fifth time that day.

The girl was a pretty teenager with thick red hair and wide brown eyes, "Ah… I _am_ lost…" She saw Kakashi tapping his foot impatiently, "Is he okay?"  
Obito glanced back at Kakashi briefly and turned back to the girl, "He's fine. I'm Uchiha Obito."  
"Nice to meet you, Obito-kun. I'm Uzumaki Kushina."  
"I haven't seen you before." Obito said.

"Hai." Kushina nodded, "I've just recently moved into Konoha and I went for a walk and got utterly lost." She looked at Kakashi, "What's your name?"  
"Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi answered, "Actually, we've got to go, Obito – you're already going to be late for your class and I've got to find Minato-kun."  
"It'll be okay." Obito said smiling at Kushina, "Kenzou-sensei will forgive me."  
Kakashi sighed deeply.

"Where do you need to go?" Obito asked the girl, "I'll escort you home personally."  
"You're going to class?" She asked Obito, "Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing the school, if that's okay." She tapped the forehead protector that she'd tied around her neck. It had an unfamiliar symbol that Kakashi had never seen before, "I'm already a shinobi but I've got some friends who are school-aged."  
"You're a ninja?" Kakashi asked, as if in disbelief.  
"Are you blind?" Kushina asked, "I've got my forehead protector right here."  
Kakashi narrowed his eyes but didn't respond.

Obito laughed, "Sure, I'll show you the school." He began walking towards the school, "Where're you from?"  
"The Whirlpool Country." Kushina said, "Recently, my country was nearly destroyed and I and a friend of mine gathered up several of the orphans and decided to move them to a safer village."  
"Nani? You and orphans?"  
"We're all orphans." Kushina said, "We all lost our parents in the destruction. The only reason we survived is because I and another teacher at our school gathered up as many school-aged children as we could find and hid them away." Kushina sighed, "So, how old are you guys?"  
"Eight." Obito answered.  
"So you're not a graduated ninja yet, Obito? I see you don't have a forehead protector yet and mask-face does."  
"Mask-face?" Kakashi repeated angrily.

"He's already a Chuunin." Obito answered.  
"Wow!" Kushina exclaimed, giving Kakashi and nudge in the arm, "You must be smart, right?"  
"I am." Kakashi barked.  
"Modest, too." Obito joked. He and Kushina laughed.  
"Well, I'm 17." Kushina said, "I'm a Chuunin, too, Kakashi-kun. So we've got something in common."  
Kakashi shrugged and kept walking.

"Thanks for helping me, Obito-kun. I'd be walking around for hours if you hadn't come along." Kushina said.  
"If you're a ninja," Kakashi said, "Why don't you just go someplace high and try and find a familiar land-mark?"  
Kushina's eyebrows rose, "Oh! I didn't think about that! Hahahhaha!"  
Obito laughed along with her, "Trust Kakashi to think up of something smart."  
"Well, the truth is, I thought it would be rude of me to jump around this village because I'm new here. I don't want to offend anyone. I thought it would be best to look around on foot."  
"Is that true?" Kakashi asked.  
"Sure it is." Kushina said. When Kakashi turned away from her she winked at Obito, who grinned.

Soon they were at the school, "Kakashi," Obito said, "Please help Kushina-chan. It was nice to meet you, Kushina-chan!"  
"It was nice to meet you too, Obito-kun. Thanks for showing me the school. Please get to class, I don't want you to get into trouble for my sake."  
"Hai!" Obito looked past Kakashi and Kushina, "Hi, Minato-kun, bye!"  
Minato approached, looking amused, "Bye, Obito-kun. Hurry, hurry. Your class is about to start and I don't think Kenzou-sensei will be pleased if you're late again."  
Kakashi turned to Minato, "Sandaime-sama is looking for you, Minato-kun."

"Thanks, Kakashi-kun. Ano… who are you?" Minato asked Kushina.  
"Hi! Nice to meet you! I'm Uzumaki Kushina." Kushina smiled at Minato.  
"Namikaze Minato," Minato introduced himself, "You're not from around here."  
"I'm from the Whirlpool Country – I just moved here to Konoha. I got lost and Obito-kun and Kakashi-kun stopped to help me."  
"Kakashi-kun stopped to help you?" Minato looked at the white-haired boy, "That's a surprise."

Kushina laughed, "Well, Kakashi-kun was going to help me find my way home."  
"I'll help you." Minato said, "Kakashi – could you tell Sandaime that I'll be there as soon as I can?"  
Kakashi stared at the 19-year-old, "H-hai, Minato-kun."  
"Thanks." Minato pat Kakashi on the head and walked away with the pretty girl.

* * *

Hi hi! Ok, so first of all: I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I had it all written and I was uploading it and I did a check over everything to make sure everything made sense and I realized I had completely fudged up the timeline.  
I was like, "Aw crap."  
So I had to go back and rewrite nearly all of this chapter.

Plus, i think my computer is mad at me and is trying to get some sort of revenge on me...

Anyway, so let me explain some stuff:

1) I have Naruto mention the amount of time he and Hinata have been seeing each other because I want to make sure everyone knows that this wasn't a quickly made relationship. They've been dating for months. (Much to Neji's chagrin)  
2) Its really hard to make sure of the timelines and the ages because they don't mention a lot of stuff in the anime and manga.  
So I had to make some educated guesses. So, in my story when Minato and Kushina first meet, they are aged 19 and 17 respectively.  
Six years later the Kyuubi will attack and Naruto will be born (when Minato is 25 and Kushina is 23).  
3) The Kakashi stuff is a little confusing. Here's what I know: Kakashi became a Chuunin at age 6, Obito and Rin didn't graduate until they were 9 so they're not in a team yet. So, I just say that Kakashi is a lone Chuunin (because of his age) and he won't have a team until other nin's, his age, graduate. Something like that.  
It's confusing. I had to make stuff up but I'm trying to be as canon as possible.

Hope you guys enjoy. I'm tired and I need to rest.  
Also - who thought Kakashi's story would be about Yondaime and Uzumaki Kushina:D

-4ng3legg


	8. Not Allowed!

_Present Day_

"T-that's how my parents met?" Naruto asked.  
"Hai. Five years later, after the 3rd War ended, your father was made the Yondaime Hokage. For some reason, he was surprised." Kakashi laughed, "In fact, he was the only one. Everyone else had been expecting it for years. I was 13-years-old."

_16 Years Ago_

Kakashi searched for Minato after the ceremony. He understood well enough that because Minato was now the Hokage, he probably wouldn't have a lot of time to talk but Kakashi wanted to, at least, congratulate him.  
"Iruka-kun." Kakashi called to a younger boy, "Have you seen the Hokage-sama?"  
Iruka laughed, "Of course I've seen him. He's tall with blond hair, blue eyes and a big sparkling smile." Iruka grinned widely and showed all his teeth. He was mimicking Minato's smile.  
Kakashi sighed, "Laugh it up, Iruka-kun. I need to find the Hokage-sama."  
Iruka shrugged, "I saw him talking with Kushina-sensei but then Mizuki-kun called me and I haven't seen Min… ah, the Hokage-sama… since."

"Kushina-chan." Kakashi murmured.  
Uzumaki Kushina was 22 and the most beautiful female shinobi in Konoha. She was a teacher in the academy and had won the hearts of most of the boys attending. Not to mention the envy of most of the girls.  
"I think I know where they are." Kakashi said triumphantly, "See you, Iruka-kun."  
Iruka nodded, already walking away.

Kakashi sat in a tree in the Konoha Public Park. He smiled beneath his mask. He'd made sure he was quiet enough so that even Minato-sensei couldn't hear him. No, not sensei anymore – _Hokage-sama_.  
Below, Minato was standing beside Kushina-sensei.  
She was sitting on the grass, looking away from Minato.  
Kakashi strained his ears to hear the conversation.

"Aren't you proud of me?"  
"Of course I am." Kushina said, "I'm happy you're the Hokage-sama, Minato. I know you're going to be a good Hokage. I know that you'll do your utmost to keep this village safe."  
"Then…" Minato paused awkwardly. He always seemed a little clumsy around Kushina, "Why didn't I see you at the ceremony?"  
Kushina looked up at him, "I was there."  
"I didn't see you."  
She snorted, "Then maybe you're not as great a ninja as you think you are." She joked, "_I was there_, Minato. I saw you standing up there and I saw Sandaime-sama place the headdress on your head."  
Minato quickly removed the headdress he was wearing.

"I rejoiced with the villagers at the appointment of an obviously excellent shinobi to become the _Yondaime_."  
"Yondaime." Minato repeated, "It sounds strange… if people call me that, I won't know who they're calling to."  
"You'll know." Kushina said.

Kakashi teetered on the branch. He wanted to go down and talk to Minato but he'd already heard too much. This was one of those _private_ conversations that Minato always sent him away for.  
A part of Kakashi wanted to slip away and try and talk to Minato later but another part of Kakashi wanted to stay there and listen… maybe… get a better seat.  
Kakashi thought that this part of him sounded suspiciously like Obito-kun.  
Kakashi rubbed his left eye beneath his forehead protector and decided to keep listening and later, maybe get some eye drops.

"I didn't want the appointment." Minato said.  
Kushina jumped to her feet and pinched his arm.  
"Ow!" Minato rubbed his arm, "What was that for?"  
Kushina narrowed her eyes at him, "How could you _not_ want the appointment of _Hokage_, Minato? Are you crazy? It's an incredible honor! I can't believe you would say that… _in front of me_, no less."  
"Kushina…"  
"You _know_ how I feel about… becoming… Hokage…" Kushina rubbed her eyes angrily, "Dammit. Stupid tears."

"I know…"  
"No! It's not fair!" Kushina burst out. She grimaced, "I… I can never be the Hokage…"  
She glared at Minato again, "How can you act whiny when you have received of some people's greatest dream? I… I _wish_ they'd appoint me, but… _just because_ I'm not a native of Konoha. I know I'm from Whirlpool but I came here _willingly_. I wanted to make this my home and I have." She sighed and Kakashi thought she looked defeated, "Haven't I?"  
"Yes, Kushina… this is your home."  
"My home…" Kushina repeated softly, "My home… that doesn't allow me to be everything that I can be."

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!" Three ANBU appeared, "Hokage-sama, you shouldn't disappear without your personal guard."  
"Jeez…" Minato sighed, "I'm talking privately to someone…"  
"It's okay." Kushina said, walking away from the group, "See you around, _Yondaime_."  
Minato was ushered away by the ANBU and soon Kushina was standing alone beneath the tree that Kakashi sat in.

"Come down here." Kushina said, without looking up.  
Kakashi grimaced. How long had she known?  
"Good afternoon, Kushina-sensei." Kakashi called as he landed beside her, "I was looking for M-uh, the Hokage-sama."  
"It's rude to listen in on private conversations, Kakashi-kun." Kushina said.  
She flicked his nose before he had a chance to defend.

"Hey!" Kakashi rubbed his nose, "How'd you get so fast?"  
"You were distracted." Kushina shrugged, "Besides, I'm a sensei, ain't I? I gotta be fast if I'm gonna control a room full of wanna-be ninja's, ne?" She glanced at him, "Next time I catch you spying on private conversations, Kakashi-kun, I'm gonna pull off your mask and poke your left eye."  
"Jeez."  
"Maybe that'll teach the spirit in your eye a lesson." Kushina laughed and tousled his hair.

"Kushina-sensei…?"  
"What?"  
"Why… why aren't you allowed to become the Hokage?"  
Kushina's smiled faltered and she shoved her hands into her pockets, "I thought you heard that part of the conversation, Kakashi-kun."  
"Just because you're not a native?"  
"Yup. Just because, just because, just because."  
"Should that really matter? I mean, you _want_ to be the Hokage… and you're a Jounin. You're one of the strongest female ninja's I've ever known."  
"Huh." Kushina snorted, "I'm one of the strongest, period. Female or not. Get it straight, Mask-face." She shrugged, "I don't make the rules. But I'm a citizen of Konoha and I've pledged myself to defending my adopted home so I will abide by the rules…" She grinned, "Or at least, I'll try not to get caught breaking them." She laughed but it sounded unnatural. It quickly died away.  
"Apparently, there are a lot of things we alien residents can't do." Kushina murmured.  
"Like what?"  
Kushina shrugged, "Become the Hokage… marry the Hokage…" She stepped away from Kakashi, "I'm getting hungry. I'm gonna go get some ramen – you want some, Kakashi-kun?"

Kakashi wanted to go find Minato and talk to him but another part of him didn't want to leave Kushina-sensei alone. He rubbed his left eye again.  
"I've got to go talk to the Hokage-sama." Kakashi said.  
"Yea, okay." Kushina turned to Kakashi, "I think he'd feel more comfortable if you kept calling him Minato-sensei. He's nervous about being the Hokage and all… and… I just want him to get a hang of everything." She gave another unnatural laugh, "So, see you later, Kakashi-kun."  
Her voice cracked when she said his name.  
"Kushina-sensei!" Kakashi called but she'd already disappeared.

Kakashi finally found Minato surrounded by a group of older people.  
"We always knew you'd be a good shinobi, didn't we?"  
"Oh yes."  
"Yes, yes."  
"Very good."  
"Eh."  
"We're so proud of you, young Minato-sama. You'll be a good Hokage. We know, don't we?"  
"Yes, of course."  
"Of course."  
"Meh."  
"A good Hokage."  
Minato had a strained smile plastered on his face as he nodded at whatever it was the elderly people were saying.

"Yondaime-sama!" Kakashi called.  
Minato turned and looked relieved, "Ah, Kakashi-kun, I'm glad to see you. _Excuse me, baa-sama, I must talk to my young student…_" Minato grabbed Kakashi by the shoulder and steered him away, "Thanks for saving me." He muttered, "If you hadn't come along, they'd have kept me there until I was their age."  
"Ah, Yondaime-sama… I wanted to ta…"  
"_Yondaime-sama_." Minato rolled his eyes and made a face, "I'm still your sensei, Kakashi-kun. Besides, I'm not used to being called Yondaime."

"I want to talk to you… uh… M-minato-sensei."  
"Sure – what's wrong?"  
"Nothing." Kakashi said, "I wanted to congratulate you, sensei. I didn't have a chance to before…"  
"Oh."  
"I guess I wanted to tell you that… I'm, uh, proud of you, sensei."  
Minato grinned, "Thanks. I, uh, I'm hearing that a lot, Kakashi but I think it means a lot coming from you." He sighed suddenly, "Did you see where Kushina went…?"

"She said she was getting some ramen. She invited me to go with her."  
"Oh."  
"She… I don't think she's feeling too good."  
"Oh?"  
"She seemed upset about something."  
"Like… what?" Minato asked slowly.  
"She, uh, she said something about not being able to do things because she's not a native citizen." Kakashi admitted.  
"She told you that?"  
Kakashi ignored his question, "Things like become the Hokage or marry the Hokage."

Minato seemed to go rigid.  
"S-sensei?"  
"Uh… thanks, Kakashi, for telling me. I should see if she's okay." Minato gave him a tight-lipped smile and disappeared.

_Present Day_

"They denied her greatest dream _just because_ she was born somewhere else?" Naruto asked angrily, pounding the table, "That's terrible! It… it's not fair."  
Hinata laid her hand on his and Naruto sighed, "To hear about things like that. It makes me so angry. I love this village but sometimes they have the stupidest rules."  
"Kushina-chan was certainly upset by those rules but as she said, Naruto, she pledged herself to the village and she would abide by the rules of her adopted home." Kakashi pointed out.  
"I know." Naruto muttered.  
"Ano…" Hinata spoke up, "Kakashi-sensei, if Kushina-sama and Yondaime-sama were not allowed to marry then…" She looked at Naruto, "How did Naruto come about?"  
"Well, that's the other part of her quote, isn't it? She would abide by the rules… or else, try not to get caught breaking them."

* * *

Wa-hey!  
Kakashi's story... continues!

So, thanks to the fact that there is almost no information about Uzumaki Kushina, I've gone ahead and made up a bunch of stuff.

This is based on the stuff that's canon - like, the fact that Naruto has a lot of stamina and chakra without Kyuubi. Kakashi has said in the manga that Yondaime wouldn't have been able to do some of the stuff Naruto can because he didn't have the amount of chakra Naruto has. So I figure, Naruto's gotta get it from someone.  
So, he gets it from mom - Kushina.  
I think Kushina was a very strong ninja - Hokage-strong. She, no doubt, passed on her traits to Naruto.  
The manga states that Kushina was brash and tom-boyish so I tried to give her similiar mannerisms as Naruto.  
She talks a lot, she laughs a lot and she eats a lot of ramen. But she's strong and a little defiant but loyal to the friends (and village) she has chosen.  
I also think that Kushina had a desire to prove herself to the village. She was an outsider before but now she wants to prove to the village that she is worthy to be called a full-citizen without the biasism that comes from being an alien resident. (I may have just made up a word there.)

Anyway, this is why I think Naruto has her surname and not Namikaze Minato's.  
If they weren't officially married, officials might have given Naruto his mother's surname or perhaps Minato decided to keep Naruto an Uzumaki in memorial to Kushina if something did happen to her.  
But that's the big discussion, isn't it? What happened to Kushina?  
Hmm... hmm... that's a pickle.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this portion. More, as soon as I can write it.

-4ng3legg


	9. The Hokage's Secret!

_15 - 16 Years Ago_

Kakashi's eyes were watering.  
He'd been practicing his Sharingan for a couple of hours and it was starting to take a toll.  
He was putting eye drops in his left eye when a member of ANBU suddenly appeared, "_Hatake Kakashi_!" The man in the mask fairly yelled.  
Kakashi poked himself in the eye, "AH! JEEZ!"  
He rubbed his eye angrily and looked up at the ANBU, "_Thanks_."  
"You're required to report to the Hokage-sama _immediately_."  
"Yondaime-sama wants to see me?" Kakashi asked, standing up, "Why?"  
The ANBU member shrugged and disappeared.

Kakashi knocked on the door to the office of the Hokage.  
"Enter." Minato's voice called.  
Kakashi poked his head in, "Ah – Minato-sensei."  
Minato smiled when he saw Kakashi, "Come in, come in, Kakashi-kun." Minato turned to his assistant, "Thank you, Watari-kun. I need to talk to Kakashi-kun in private."  
Watari nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"I know we haven't had a lot of time to talk lately," Minato said, rifling through a stack of papers on his desk, "I… well, I have a request to ask of you, Kakashi and I know I don't have any right to ask but…"  
"Go ahead, Minato-sensei." Kakashi said, "What do you need?"  
"I need your help… getting out of here."

Kakashi's eyebrows rose, "Nani…?"  
"You see, I want to go and see Kushina-chan. I haven't had a chance to see her much, Kakashi, and today is her birthday. She said it was okay that I wouldn't be there to celebrate but…"  
"What exactly do you want me to do?"  
"Ah – well, how long can you hold a _Henge_?"  
"You want me to transform…? Into _you_?"

Minato grinned, "That's right, Kakashi. You transform into me and I'll transform into you and I will leave – as you – and you will stay… as me."  
"I understand your plan, Minato-sensei, but while you're out with Kushina-sensei, just what will I be doing?"  
Minato gave him his most sparkly smile, "Just tell Watari-kun that you're feeling ill and then go wait in the mansion, Kakashi!"  
"And what if something happens and they come running to me expecting me to solve the problem!?"  
"I'm sure nothing like that will happen." Minato said seriously, "I'll be gone for… a couple of hours – tops."

"Why're you asking me to do this? Why not ask Watari-kun?"  
"Are you kidding me? I'm sure Watari-kun would be willing but he'd give it away in a second. We're nothing alike. Kakashi-kun, you've known me for years! You know all my personality traits and idiosyncrasies. I know you can imitate my personality with ease."  
"I don't know, Minato-sensei… this sounds like it could backfire at any moment and I could get into a lot of trouble for imitating the Hokage!"  
Minato pouted comically, "Don't make me do it, Kakashi-kun."  
"Do… what?"  
"Don't make me _command_ you."  
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn't."  
Minato grinned, "_Henge no Jutsu!_"

Kakashi stared across the room at himself.  
"Minato-sensei!"  
"I promise anything, Kakashi-kun! What do you want?"  
"Ah…"  
"Please? I think I hear Watari coming!"  
Kakashi heard the footsteps, too. He sighed deeply, "Henge no Jutsu."  
Minato grabbed him and pushed him into the office chair, "Thanks, Kakashi."

A knock sounded on the door.  
"Hokage-sama, you're needed to look over these documents." Watari called as he walked in.  
Kakashi nodded, "Ok… Watari-kun."  
"Well, thank you, Minato-sensei." Minato said, edging towards the door, "I will think about what you said."  
"Oh, Kakashi-kun." Kakashi called, "_Hiraishin no Jutsu_."

Minato coughed, "N-nani?"  
"Are we agreed? My Flying Thunder God Technique – okay?"  
Minato stared at himself. The smug smile on his face was a little annoying.  
"Yes, Minato-sensei." Minato said, "That's the technique I want you to teach me."  
Kakashi nodded, the smile widening, "Very good. Go away now, I'm very busy."  
Minato rolled his eyes and left the room.

"You're going to teach your special technique to Kakashi-kun?" Watari asked, surprised.  
Kakashi grinned nervously, "Ah, yes. Ano… Watari-kun, I'm feeling somewhat ill. Perhaps we can resume work tomorrow? I would like to turn in for the night."  
"Ah… of course, Hokage-sama. Would you like me to call for a medical-nin?"  
"N-no. Nothing like that. I just need some rest, I'm sure." Kakashi stood, "I'm going to rest."  
Watari nodded, "I will send you your dinner, Hokage-sama."  
Kakashi's stomach rumbled. He'd been training for hours without stopping to eat. He grinned uneasily at Watari, "I… I guess I'm hungry."  
Watari smiled warmly, "Then I will send it right away."

_Present Day_

"I spent twenty minutes wandering around the palace of the Hokage, looking for Minato-sensei's bedroom. And then I had to go to the dining room to eat dinner and by the time I finally found _that_ room, my dinner had gone cold." Kakashi chuckled, "But I ate it. Speaking of hungry, Naruto, do you have any more cookies?"  
"I'll get them." Hinata said, "Please continue, Kakashi-sensei."  
"Actually, do you have anything more substantial than cookies?" Kakashi asked, "I'm getting pretty hungry."  
Naruto scratched his cheek, "I don't have much besides cup ramen."

Hinata searched through Naruto's fridge, "And that seems about it." She said, peering at an old apple, "H-how old is this?"  
"I didn't even know that was in there." Naruto said, laughing.  
"You eat too much ramen." Kakashi said.  
"Ano… I can go and pick up some ingredients and make you both something." Hinata said.  
"Don't worry about it. But make a list of the things you need." Naruto said, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

Two clones appeared.  
"Take Hinata's list and go shopping." He tossed his fat little frog purse to one, "Don't be wasteful."  
After getting the list from Hinata, the two clones left.  
"How long do you think they'll take?" Kakashi asked, "I think I'm going to faint from starvation."  
"Like that could happen." Naruto said, "What happened while you were imitating the Hokage?"

_15 – 16 Years Ago_

Kakashi was standing in front of a mirror in the Hokage's bedroom, examining Minato's features.  
He opened his eyes wide and stuck his tongue out.  
He smiled widely and showed all his teeth.  
He tugged on his blond hair and opened his mouth wide, "I don't get it. He's not _that_ good-looking."

"What are you doing?"  
Kakashi whirled around and found himself face-to-face with Minato.  
"Nothing. _Waiting_. You said you would be gone for a couple of hours." Kakashi yawned and released the Henge Jutsu, "I kept having to go to the bathroom and release the jutsu and then do it over again. Watari-kun probably thinks you've got diarrhea."  
Minato laughed, "Thanks but it hasn't been _that_ long, has it?"  
"Are you crazy?" Kakashi pointed to a clock on the wall, "You've been gone for _six_ _hours_, Minato-sensei. I have better things to do than wander around here pretending to be you for six hours."

"Like what?"  
"Training. Resting. Instead I'm stuck in here, trying to find a way to occupy myself. Oh, I found this under your pillow." He raised a book with the title, "Icha Icha".  
Minato snatched the book away, "You're not old enough to read that, Kakashi-kun." He tucked the book away, beneath the pillow.  
"Don't worry about it." Kakashi said, "It was boring. I stopped at page 10. Why do you have it under your pillow…?"  
"Don't worry about it." Minato said hurridly, "It's late. You should be getting home, right?"  
"Getting late? It's long past _late_, Minato-sensei. What did you and Kushina-chan do, anyway?" Kakashi asked.

"We talked to Sandaime-sama."  
"Way to show a girl a good time, Minato-sensei." Kakashi laughed, "I bet _that_ was romantic."  
Minato chucked a pillow at him, "Ha-ha, Kakashi. Laugh it up."  
"Why'd you go talk to Sandaime-sama?"  
Minato flashed his left hand, "We got married."

"NANI!?" Kakashi looked at the simple gold wedding band, "Y-you got married? I thought you weren't allowed to marry Kushina-chan!"  
"So?" Minato laughed, "Not even the rules of Konoha can tell me who I can and cannot love, Kakashi. It's a wonderful village and I'm proud to be the Hokage, but I decided that I will choose who I will marry. Sandaime-sama officiated over the ceremony."  
"There was a ceremony and you didn't invite me?" Kakashi deadpanned, "I'm so offended."  
"It was just the three of us." Minato said, "And afterwards, Kushina and I… _celebrated_."

"Ah…"  
"You don't need to know the details." Minato said quickly.  
"I wasn't going to ask… _pervert_." Kakashi laughed, "I was going to say… 'So Kushina is a Namikaze now?'"  
"No…" Minato sighed, "Sandaime suggested she shouldn't take my name. It's a secret marriage, Kakashi, so you can't tell anyone, ok? Kushina and I will tell whom we choose. But she's still Uzumaki."  
"Oh."

"Kushina said I shouldn't even wear my wedding band in public…" Minato looked at the band around his finger, "I want to stand on Hokage Mountain and announce my marriage to the village but I'm not even allowed to wear my ring."  
"So… you're going to keep your marriage a secret… forever? How is that going to be possible?"  
"Not forever." Minato said, "I've put in a request to the Council about allowing worthy alien residents of becoming full citizens and in the case of alien shinobi who have dedicated themselves to this village, they will have the opportunity to become the Hokage."  
"Yea? And…?"  
Minato sighed, 'They're _discussing_ the matter. But, I'm working on them. I think it could pass."

"So what if they rule against your request?"  
Minato shrugged, "I'm sure they won't but… in the off chance that they do, I will reveal my marriage and refuse to break it."  
"They won't allow you to continue as Hokage, Minato-sensei."  
"That's their decision." Minato said quietly, "I will be disappointed, of course."  
"Dishonored." Kakashi said, "What if they banish you from the village?"  
"Jeez." Minato laughed, "I don't think they'll go that far, Kakashi-kun."

A knock sounded on the door.  
"Yondaime-sama? I thought I heard voices…" Watari's voice called, "May I enter?"  
Minato rolled his eyes and motioned for Kakashi to hide, "Okay… Watari-kun."  
Kakashi was behind the door when Watari opened it.

"Are you okay, Yondaime-sama? I could have sworn…"  
"Nah… I was talking to… myself… uh, you can go home, Watari-kun. You don't have to stay late."  
Watari laughed suddenly, "Watari-kun went home. I saw him walk out of the palace and talk to a couple of the ANBU guards."  
"Nani?"

Watari disappeared and Kushina stood in his place, "You know Watari-kun. He's such a worrier. So the guards weren't surprised when _he_ returned saying that he forgot some documents with the Hokage-sama." She laughed, "In a few minutes, I'll send out a _kage bunshin_ that's _henge'd_ to look like Watari-kun and no one will be the wiser."  
"And how do you expect to escape… later?" Minato asked.  
"I'm still back here." Kakashi said, poking his head out from behind the door, "Let me go home first…"  
Kushina laughed, "I _knew_ I heard voices in here."  
"I was wondering why Watari-kun reappeared." Kakashi said, "I'd sent him home already."

"You can go home now." Minato said.  
"Gee, thanks, _sensei._" Kakashi replied, sarcastically, "Congratulations, Kushina-chan. I won't tell anyone but I'll refer to you as Namikaze Kushina in my head."  
Kushina laughed again and pressed a kiss to Kakashi's forehead before he had a chance to block, "Too slow."  
"I won't be, next time," Kakashi retorted as he blushed beneath his mask.

_Present Day_

"Smells good, Hinata-chan." Kakashi said, "I didn't know you were such a good cook."  
"I'm sure there are a lot of things you don't know about me, Kakashi-sensei." Hinata said with a smile, "But, t-thank you."  
Kakashi looked surprised at her response and looked at Naruto.  
Naruto smiled widely, "I knew."  
Kakashi thought that it was almost disturbing how much he looked like his father.

* * *

CONTINUED!

So... _that's_ how Kakashi got into those books. (I figure Jiraiya's been writing them for a while.)  
And Jiraiya was Minato's sensei and Minato was Kakashi's sensei so that whole pervertedness has been passed down (so you know Naruto's got it)

Plus, I can totally see Sandaime ignoring the rules and allowing Minato and Kushina to get married.  
He seems like the type (also, Sandaime was Jiraiya's sensei and he was a pervert, too. Hahhaha)  
So many perverts!

Hinata got sarcastic with Kakashi. I think that means she's getting comfortable. :D  
She'll make a good housewife! (I love her. She's well-rounded. I bet Sakura can't cook worth crap.)

So, Kakashi's story is almost finished.  
Also, will he remove his mask in order to eat? He must! Will Naruto see his face!? Even if he does, we (the audience) still won't because I'm writing! Not drawing!  
(I think Sasuke still wonder's what Kakashi looks like under the mask. He's running around with Hebi and trying to kill Itachi and late at night when everyone else is asleep he's going, "I bet he's got thin lips... yea... I bet that's why he covers his face. He looks like a weirdo underneath that mask..." Hahahhahha. Wouldn't that be great?)

-4ng3legg 


	10. The Monster Appears!

"So they were married." Hinata said as she set down a plate in front of Kakashi, "But she didn't carry his name." She set down another plate in front of Naruto, "Please, enjoy!"  
"Hai – ahhh, this looks delicious, Hinata-chan!" Kakashi exclaimed, "Itadakimasu!"  
"Itadakimasu!" Naruto chimed in, looking at Hinata, "Arigato Hinata. You're so sweet to put up with Kakashi-sensei like this."

"Put up with me?" Kakashi said, "Some host."  
Naruto turned to Kakashi and gasped, "N-nani!?"  
"What?" Hinata asked, sitting down in front of her own plate, "What's wrong?"  
Naruto pointed to Kakashi's empty plate.  
"Arigato, Hinata-chan. It was very good." Kakashi said, mask in place.  
"Ah! You're finished!" Hinata sighed, "You're going to end up sick, Kakashi-sensei, if you keep eating so fast."

"May I finish my story?" Kakashi asked.  
"Please?" Naruto asked, "Before you eat me out of house and home."

_15 - 16 Years Ago_

"You're WHAT!?" Kakashi had to sit down in front of the Hokage's desk.  
"Yea… we're pretty surprised, too." Minato said with a goofy smile, "But happy, Kakashi-kun. We're really happy."  
Kakashi groaned, "Well, congratulations, _Dad_. But tell me one thing?"  
"Nani?"  
"Just how are you going to keep _that_ a secret?"

Minato grinned and scratched his cheek, "Well, Kushina won't start showing for a couple of months, right?"  
"How should I know?"  
"Ne… I'm sure we'll have the whole issue resolved long before she gives birth!" Minato said cheerfully, "Can you believe it? I'm going to be a father, Kakashi-kun. Me! A father!"  
"Ne… a miniature Minato running around?" Kakashi said, "Or… a miniature Kushina-chan! Oh boy… Konoha will never be the same."  
Minato laughed, "Do you think he'll have her red hair and my blue eyes or maybe he'll have blond hair and brown eyes…?"  
"He?"  
"Nani?"  
"You just found out Kushina-chan is pregnant, Minato-sensei. How do you know it's going to be a boy?" Kakashi asked sensibly, "What if it's a girl?"  
"That's fine, too." Minato said, "A pretty little girl. I bet she'd be as beautiful as her mother."  
"Calm down, Minato-sensei. It's going to be months before you even find out. Ne – you haven't even thought up of names, I bet. What're you gonna call him… or her?"

"Kakashi-kun," Minato said seriously, "You'll look after my child, right?"  
"Nani?"  
"You'll be, like a big brother, ne? I know having you as a big brother would ensure the safety of my child." Minato said with a warm smile, "So…?"  
Kakashi was glad he was wearing a mask because if he hadn't been, Minato would have seen his jaw drop, "O-of course, Minato-sensei! I'll watch over your child with my life!"

_Present Day_

"And what a great job you're doing, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said sarcastically.  
"Ne? You're still alive, aren't you?" Kakashi joked, "I like to think I have something to do with that."

_15 Years Ago_

"They rejected the proposition."  
Kakashi had come by Kushina's apartment to help her around the house. She was so large now she could hardly bend down without toppling over. And, Kakashi noted with amusement, she couldn't see her own feet. She wore one black sandal and one blue sandal.

"The council rejected it?" Kakashi asked, "Minato-sensei was so sure they'd approve!"  
"I know." Kushina smiled wanly and waddled to her couch, "Ooh, he's a kicker." She said, holding her stomach, "Sometimes, I think there are more than one in there."  
"Nani? Like… twins?"  
Kushina smiled, "No, not twins. Maybe he's just really energetic.'  
"Kushina-chan, what are you and Minato-sensei going to do?"

Kakashi worried often for Kushina. After she began showing the pregnancy, a lot of the village people began talking behind her back. Kushina pretended not to notice but many of the people spread vicious rumors about her.  
More than once, Kakashi found Minato telling off some office lackey who had been caught gossiping about Kushina.  
In fact, the rumors persisted so much that many of the parents protested her being a teacher, citing her apparent pregnancy without a husband – so they thought – as an example of her loose morals and bad decisions that they didn't want rubbed off on their children.

Instead of waiting for the council to remove her as teacher, Kushina stepped down and began keeping to her self.  
Many of the village children lamented this as she had been their favorite teacher and kindest companion.  
Kushina acted fine when Kakashi visited but he knew the entire ordeal was taking a toll on her.  
Before, Kushina had been vibrant and lively. Now she had grown quiet and reserved.

"I don't know, Kakashi-kun." Kushina murmured, "Minato wants to reveal the marriage but… I'm afraid they'll remove him as Hokage. I couldn't stand to see him disgraced like that."  
"Kushina-chan! Don't you think its hurting Minato-sensei to see you being reviled? He's desperate to clear your name and expose a secret that he never wanted to keep in the first place." Kakashi said wisely, "Perhaps it would be for the best…?"

Suddenly a crash of thunder resounded overhead and both Kushina and Kakashi jumped in surprise.  
"Ne… it sounds like a big storm is coming." Kushina said, thoughtfully.  
Kakashi peered out the window and noticed that the sky was blood-red. It was still relatively early in the day – 12 noon. Something didn't bode well to Kakashi.

"D-don't worry about it, Kakashi-kun. I would like to take a walk, would you care to accompany me?" Kushina said.  
"A walk? You just said it sounds like a big storm was coming."  
"It will be a short walk, then." She heaved herself up from the couch, "Come on, Kakashi-kun. Let's go. Please?"  
Kakashi didn't dare leave her alone, "Yea, yea, fine. But maybe you want to change your shoes? You're wearing two different colors."  
"What?" Kushina gasped, "Oh! Hahahaha, I'm glad you caught that, Kakashi-kun." She giggled to herself as she waddled away to find a matching pair.  
Kakashi sighed and realized it was the first time he'd heard her laugh the way she used to.

"Kushina-sensei!"  
Kushina and Kakashi turned to see a familiar face jogging towards them.  
"Ah! Iruka-kun!" Kushina gushed, "How is my favorite student…?" She coughed, "Ano…"  
"Kushina-sensei, I haven't seen you since…" He blushed and cleared his throat, "You, uh… you're a lot bigger than before!"  
Kushina smiled, "Not me, Iruka-kun! The baby."

"Yah," Iruka peered at her stomach, "What do you think you're going to have, Kushina-sensei?"  
"Iruka-kun, I'm… uh, I'm not your sensei anymore…"  
Iruka grinned, "Aw, you'll always be Kushina-sensei to the students. No matter what the council says. Hey, what're you guys up to?"  
"Kushina-chan wanted to take a walk." Kakashi said.  
"A walk? Haven't you been hearing all that thunder? It's gonna be pouring soon! You should get indoors, Kushina-sensei." Iruka scolded her, "Sheesh! I'm supposed to be the student."

"Ne, what about you, Iruka-kun? What're you doing out before a storm?"  
"Eh? Oh, well, I just got out of class and I'm gonna grab some lunch before I go home. My parents got back from a tough mission yesterday and they're resting today." Iruka said proudly.  
"Lunch?" Kushina said, "Ooh, that sounds like a plan. Come on, Kakashi-kun, I'll buy for the three of us, yea?"""Really?" Iruka exclaimed, "Wow! Thanks, Kushina-sensei."  
"As long as it's indoors." Kakashi sighed.

As they ate – indoors – the thunder outside grew louder. The windows began to shake in their frames. The sky grew darker.  
Kushina kept looking through the window near their table to the sky outside.  
"It sounds like it's gonna get real ugly." Iruka said through a mouthful of ramen, "Man, this ramen is pretty good."  
"Kushina-chan? Are you okay?" Kakashi asked, "You've barely touched your ramen."  
Kushina turned, confusion on her face, "What?"

"Your food is getting cold." Iruka said, "You keep looking out the window, Kushina-sensei. What's the matter?"  
Kushina sighed, "I don't know. I feel… _anxious_. Like I'm becoming tense because something _big _is gonna happen."  
Kakashi toyed with his chopsticks. His bowl had long since been emptied.  
"I kind of feel like that, too." Kakashi said, "There's a vibration in the air."  
"Now that you mention it…" Iruka said slowly, "There's thunder and the sky is dark but I don't smell any rain."  
"Nani?" Kushina asked.  
"You know, sometimes when rain is approaching, you can smell in the air. I don't smell rain." Iruka explained, "It's kind of… _foreboding_…"

"Ne… maybe we should change the subject." Kushina said, "So, Iruka-kun, how are classes?"  
Iruka rolled his eyes, "They're alright but boring without you, Kushina-sensei. You always made it a challenge but now, everything is so boring and simple."  
"But you're still getting good grades, right, Iruka-kun?" Kushina asked.  
"Of course!" Iruka laughed and drank down the last of his ramen, "I'm not the class clown, you know. I'm a great student!"

Suddenly there was a loud crash and everyone in the restaurant jumped in surprise. A few of the women even screamed.  
Kakashi gripped his chopsticks, "I do not like the sound of that!"  
Iruka gazed down and realized he had broken his empty bowl in half, "Oh… that's gonna have to be paid for…"  
Kushina rubbed her stomach, "Maybe I should get home." She murmured, "I really wish I could be with…" She quieted, her eyes on Iruka, "…with… my students again…" she finished lamely.  
Iruka's eyebrows rose but he said nothing.  
"Let's get you home, Kushina-chan." Kakashi said, "Come on, Iruka-kun. We'll be gentlemen, right?"  
"Hai." Iruka said, smiling.

Kakashi and Iruka followed Kushina out of the restaurant and into the street.  
"Hey!" Two boys came running towards them, "Kushina-sensei!"  
"Kotetsu-kun, Izumo-kun!" Iruka called.  
"Ah, did you hear that _explosion_?" Kotetsu asked Iruka, "Me and Izumo heard it!"  
"It was just thunder, Kotetsu-kun." Iruka replied, "But, yea, we heard it."  
"I don't think it was just thunder." Izumo said softly, "It didn't sound like thunder."

"HELP! HELP US!"

Everyone looked to see two men running away from the entrance of the village yelling, "HELP! HELP!"  
One of the men saw Kakashi, "Hey, hey, Ninja! You've got to help us!"  
"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked.  
"We were returning to the village… we heard those terrible sounds like thunder! We looked behind us and saw a creature in the distance!" One man said, panting.  
"Not just _any_ creature!" The other said, "It was far but it was monstrous! It was the size of a mountain! Even though we were so far away, we could see its… its… _terrible_ eyes!" The man shuddered, "We ran to alert the village!"  
"A terrible creature?" Iruka gasped, "What… what could it be?"

"We're afraid because earlier, we passed a group of our friends leaving the village." The first man said, "They could be right in the path of that hideous creature!"  
"Ok, Kotetsu-kun, Izumo-kun – you two take these men to the Hokage." Kushina directed.  
"Nani? B-but, the Hokage won't see us!" Kotetsu protested, "We're just kids!"  
"Of course he'll see you, Kotetsu-kun! He's your Hokage. He has the interest of all the villagers in mind." Kushina told him, "You tell him Uzumaki Kushina sent you, ne?"  
"Hai, Kushina-sensei!" Izumo nodded, "Let's go, Kotetsu! We have to hurry!"

"Kakashi, Iruka, I'm going to need your help." Kushina said.  
"Yea, we've got to get you home." Kakashi said, "Come on-"  
"No!" Kushina said, "We've got to find those people, boys. They could be in terrible danger."  
"Them!?" Kakashi gaped, "I apologize, Kushina-chan, but your safety is my priority. I will not allow you to run headfirst into danger in your condition!"  
Kushina gazed at the white-haired boy, "Ne, Kakashi… every villager is of importance. Besides, I won't fight or attack anything, Kakashi, I promise. I'll only go as a guide for you and Iruka."  
"No!" Kakashi barked, "You have to get home, Kushina-chan!"  
"HATAKE KAKASHI!" Kushina boomed in a terrible voice, "I AM YOUR SUPERIOR! YOU WILL DO AS I DIRECT AND NOT ARGUE! WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"

Kakashi stumbled back a few steps, "K-kushina-chan!"  
"Are you with me, Kakashi? Iruka?" Kushina said, "We go _now_!"  
"HAI!" Iruka nodded, following her, "Let's go, Kakashi-kun!"  
Kakashi roared in frustration and followed the red-haired woman.

"I see it!" Iruka cried out in surprise, "It's far but… it-it's HUGE! Nani? WHAT IS IT, KUSHINA-SENSEI!?"  
The three were running at full speed from the entrance of the village into the dark of the forest.  
"I don't know." Kushina called back. Although huge in her pregnancy, she still regained her speed but not her gracefulness. She nearly slipped several times but caught herself each time.  
"Kushina-chan!" Kakashi cried desperately, "I'm begging you to return to the village!"  
Kushina ignored him and kept running.

Iruka ran alongside Kakashi, "K-kakashi… I'm scared." He looked up at the older boy and Kakashi could see fear in his wide brown eyes.  
"I know, Iruka-kun…" Kakashi sighed. He was scared too. Not just because of the monster that was out there but because of Kushina's thoughtless actions.  
"We'll survive, Iruka!" Kakashi said, "We'll be ok! We just have to help those people, ok?"  
Iruka nodded miserably, "Hai!"  
A scream rent the air and Kakashi found himself crying out with it.  
It was like the scream of a woman but a thousand times louder. It was the scream of the monster!  
Iruka was pale but he kept running.

In the distance, Kakashi could hear other screams. Not of the monster but human!  
"We're getting close." Kushina called, "We're almost there!"  
Soon they saw a group of four men running towards them, "_HELP! HELP!_"  
"Is anyone hurt?" Kushina called to them.  
Two of the men were supporting a third man, "He tripped and hurt his leg but no one is hurt besides that." One of the men explained.  
"Hai, Kakashi, please carry the injured man." Kushina directed, "Are there any others out there?" She asked the men.  
"No, there shouldn't be. We haven't seen anyone since we saw our friends earlier, returning home to Konoha. Are they safe?"  
"Yes, they're safe." Kushina assured them, "Ok, let's go!"

Kakashi pulled the man onto his back, "Whatever you do, don't let go, do you hear me?"  
The injured man groaned, "Hai…"  
They ran, pulling the men along so fast their feet didn't touch the ground.

Suddenly, there was a sound like rushing wind.  
Then it was a roaring wind until Kakashi could no longer hear the people beside him.  
He tried to cry out to make sure they were still there but the wind ripped his voice from his throat.  
He thought he was still running but realized too late that he was now flying through the air like a rag doll.  
Kakashi was thrown against something solid. He screamed.  
He pulled himself up and realized he'd been thrown against the wall surrounding Konoha.

Nearby Iruka and the three men were on the floor, groaning. Kakashi realized the injured man was still holding onto him. He'd been knocked unconscious when they hit the wall.  
But he couldn't see Kushina.  
"KUSHINA!" Kakashi screamed, "IRUKA, WHERE IS KUSHINA!?"  
Iruka pulled himself up, "I-I don't know!" He helped the men up, "Go! Go into the village! Carry your injured friend!"  
Kakashi looked at Iruka. There was a long horizontal cut going across his nose. Iruka tried to mop up the blood, "KUSHINA-SENSEI!?"

"I'm okay…" Kushina stumbled out of the shadows of the trees, "I… I didn't hit the wall…" She laughed suddenly and Kakashi could see that she was visibly shaking.  
Kakashi and Iruka rushed to her and began pulling her towards the entrance, "Are you injured? Do you feel any pain? We have to get you to a medical-nin." Kakashi was saying.  
"M-maybe you were right, Kakashi…" Kushina said suddenly, "Maybe I should have stayed behind…"  
She sobbed and fell to her knees, clutching her stomach, "Oh god…"  
"Kushina-sensei!" Iruka cried, "Kakashi… I think she's going into labor!"

* * *

Woah! CLIFFHANGER!

OK so the thing about Iruka is kind of confusing because all the information I've read on him says he graduated the academy at age 11 and he's supposed to be 25 at the start of the series so if you do the math, 25 - 12 is 13. So Iruka should have already graduated by the time the Kyuubi attacked. But in the anime (i started reading the manga in Shippuuden so I'm not sure about the manga) Iruka says that after his parents died in the Kyuubi attack, he began acting the fool in school.  
So, I wasn't sure how to put Iruka - if he's still a student or a genin - but I decided to keep it in line with the anime - and so Iruka is still a student in my story. He hasn't graduated yet.  
And also now we know where Iruka got his scar. I'm assuming a branch or rock or something cut him when they were flying through the air.

What caused that bout of wind? Remember, the Kyuubi was said to destory mountains and cause tsunami's with a swipe of its tail. So I figure its far away that they were only touched by the wind. I imagine some trees got uprooted, though.

Also - Kushina. I'm well aware that people will think her very foolish for running into a dangerous situation in her condition so I want to explain this.  
Yes. She is foolish.  
What?  
Yea, seriously. Who goes looking for trouble when you're pregnant?? But that's the thing. Naruto is the same way... er... not pregnant but you know what I mean!  
He tends to run headfirst into a situation, sometimes without considering the possible consequences.  
I think Kushina would do the same. She worried for the lives of those people and she ran to help. It wasn't the greatest idea but it does say something about her personality.  
Whether its a good thing or a bad, that's your decision, I suppose.

I wish this could be funnier and I tried to input some humor but I'm getting into a serious part of the story. I've always wondered what happened that day the Kyuubi attacked. What happened to Kushina. How is it possible that Naruto happened to be born on the same day...?  
So, it's gonna be a little emo for a while.  
But that's how the manga and anime are, aren't they? You've got your funny episodes and you've got the emotional ones that make ya' cry.

And lastly, SORRY. I wanted to get this up yesterday but I literally fell asleep at my computer and then I had to work in the morning and then when I got home from work, I... well, I'm not going to lie to you. I read the latest chapter in the manga and then I watched the latest episode.  
I'm not ashamed.  
Anything to see 15-year-old Hinata... animated! She's so cuuute!

PLUS SPOILER  
When Kakashi is in the hospital and the covers begin to slip off his face...!!! Naruto still wants to see! Aieeeeeee! Didn't I tell you guys!? YOU KNOW Sasuke is totally thinking about it, too.  
SPOILER

OK - hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
-4ng3legg


	11. The Jinchuuriki!

"Come on!" Kakashi said, "We've got to get her to the hospital!"  
He picked up Kushina. She screamed and went limp. She was unconscious!  
"T-that's not normal, is it?" Iruka yelped, "Kakashi?"  
"Go find Yondaime-sama!" Kakashi cried, "Meet us at the hospital!"  
"Hai!" Iruka hesitated a moment, "Take care of her, Kakashi."

Kakashi ran to the hospital, all the while talking to Kushina, "Please, wake up, Kushina, please. Please wake up…"  
When he finally arrived at the building, he kicked in the doors and ran in yelling for help.  
Several medical-nins appeared and pulled the unconscious woman from his arms, "What happened?" One of the medical-nins asked as she pulled Kakashi away from Kushina, "You've sustained injuries to the left side of your body and superficial cuts and wounds." The medical-nin jerked Kakashi's face towards her and pulled up his forehead protector.  
"H-hey!" Kakashi yelled, pushing her away, "I'm fine! You've got take care of Kushina!"  
"Uzumaki Kushina is being cared for by _several_ medical-nins. You've sustained injury, Hatake Kakashi. You must also be cared for." The medical-nin said as she scribbled down notes on a clipboard, "You may have also incurred a concussion. My name is Koyama Rumi. Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"The monster…"Kakashi said, feeling dizzy, "Kushina ran to help the people outside the walls of the village. There was a wind… we flew… everyone else hit the wall but Kushina landed… she… landed… in the forest…" He clutched his head feeling supremely dizzy.  
Rumi stood unfazed as Kakashi threw up, "Landed in the forest? She must have hit a branch…"  
"…branch…?" Kakashi whispered, "She… she said she wasn't… hurt…"  
"She's got a broken back." Rumi said softly, "Is there anyone we should call?"

"WHERE IS SHE!?" A man screamed, running through the doors of the hospital, "_WHERE IS KUSHINA_!?"  
"Hokage-sama!" Iruka panted behind him.  
"Hokage-sama?" Rumi said, surprised.  
"Kushina…" Kakashi said as he stumbled towards Minato, "I'm sorry… Minato-sensei… Kushina… she…"  
"She's sustained serious injuries, Hokage-sama." Rumi said, "You must speak to Kogure Akihiko. He is Uzumaki Kushina's principle doctor."

Kakashi pitched forward and was caught by Minato, "Kakashi!?"  
"He has sustained some injuries and he needs some rest." Rumi said, "He will be fine."  
She motioned for two nearby medical-nins to come, "Pick him up. He shouldn't be standing."  
Kakashi looked up at Minato, "I tried to stop her, sensei… I begged her to return to the village… _this is all my fault_."

Minato frowned, "Don't be stupid, Kakashi. Iruka-kun told me everything. And believe me - _no one_ can stop Kushina when she gets it in her head to do something! Now go with your doctor and get better."  
Kakashi shook his head and groaned, "Kushina… please… I have to see her…"  
Minato grimaced, "You two," He gestured to the two medical-nins, "Pick him up. Follow me. You!" He pointed to Rumi, "Take me to Kushina and Kogure Akihiko."  
Rumi nodded, "Hai, Hokage-sama!"

Kakashi found himself in front of a pair of doors. The lit sign over the door read, 'Intensive Care Unit 5'.  
A scream exploded from the room.  
"KUSHINA!" Minato cried, bursting through the doors.  
"Hokage-sama!" Rumi followed him, "You must wait for the doctor!"

"_MINATO_!" Kushina cried, "The… the baby is… _coming_. There is a… a monster… outside the village…"  
"Don't worry about that." Minato clutched her hand, "I've sent teams out. I… don't worry…"  
"It's powerful." Kushina gasped, "It's so powerful… Minato… it… it was a fox…" She groaned, "It had several tails, Minato… like in the myths…"

"K-kushina…" Kakashi whispered, "Please forgive me!"  
Kushina stared groggily at him, "F-forgive you…?"  
"I should have protected you…" He struggled to be free from the medical-nins, "Why didn't you tell me you were injured…?"  
"Come here…" Kushina whispered, "Kakashi, come here."

The medical-nins walked Kakashi forward.  
Kushina reached up to him and flicked his nose.  
"Ow!"  
"Don't be stupid, Kakashi." She smiled and touched his masked cheek, "But you can't help it, can you?"  
She grimaced and grabbed Minato's hand, "_OH GOD!_"

Rumi ushered Kakashi out of the room, "You need to recline, Hatake-san."  
"No!" Kakashi protested, "Let me stay here… please…!"  
Rumi opened her mouth to argue but Kakashi pulled away from the medical-nins and stumbled to the waiting bench, "I'll recline…" He mumbled, lying across the bench, "Please…"  
Iruka sat beside his head, "Kakashi-kun, is Kushina-sensei okay?" He looked up at Rumi, "I heard you say that she had serious injuries. Is… is she going to survive?"  
Rumi sighed, "I… I don't know." She sat down on the bench across the hall.  
Another scream issued from the room and Kakashi felt a shiver run down his spine.

Two hours later, a group of ninja found Kakashi and Iruka.  
"Have you seen the Hokage-sama?" One of the ninja's asked hurriedly.  
"He's in the room." Iruka said, "With Kushina-sensei."  
Rumi went into the room and returned with Minato a moment later.  
"Hokage-sama, the monster is moving towards the village. As of yet, it's still far but we cannot let it come any closer."  
"H-hai…" Minato rubbed his face, "Call in all shinobi. We must mount a defense first and a plan for an attack. Call in Sandaime-sama."  
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" The ninja's disappeared.

"Minato-sensei." Kakashi called, "How is she?"  
Minato looked distressed, "She's… in pain."  
He touched the heads of the boys, "Thank you, boys… if you hadn't been there with her, she might have gotten hurt even worse."  
"_MINATO_!"  
Minato rushed into the room.

"Hokage-sama…" Iruka murmured, "He cares for Kushina-sensei, doesn't he, Kakashi-kun?"  
Kakashi nodded slowly.  
"When I found him, I told him Uzumaki Kushina was going into labor. I told him about the men who saw the monster and about Kushina-sensei had run to help the men outside. I told him that we were picked up by the wind… He was with the council and they said that he must do his duty and organize the shinobi to defend against the monster if it came closer but he ignored them and came to the hospital… I think I under…"

There was a scream unlike all the others. It lasted for what felt like hours and then died out. The medical-nins inside were yelling and shouting. There was the plaintive cry of a baby.  
More yelling from the medical-nins.  
And then Minato's voice, "_Kushina…! KUSHINA!_"  
Kakashi and Iruka stared at the door in horror.  
Inside the room, someone sobbed.  
The voices inside quieted.

"Kushina… sensei…" Iruka whispered.  
Kakashi stared at the door. It was quiet besides the muted wail of the baby.  
Kakashi could hear his own heartbeat. It pounded in his ears.  
As if in slow-motion, the light over the door darkened and one of the doors opened.  
A tall medical-nin walked out slowly. He turned to Kakashi and Iruka.  
Kakashi thought that his eyes looked infinitely sad.

"Kushina-sensei?" Iruka stood, "Is… is she…?"  
"The baby survived…"  
Kakashi cried out, shoved himself up off the bench and ran through the door with Iruka behind him.

Minato stood before them, a bundle in his arms.  
"Minato-sensei…" Kakashi said.  
"Kushina…" Minato whispered, "She…" His face was pale. Tears dripped from his chin, onto his robes.  
"Kushina said to… please… watch over him." Minato said, looking at the bundle in his arms, "She named him… Naruto."  
Minato walked through the door and found himself facing several ninjas.

"Hokage-sama! The monster is getting closer! None of our attacks have had any affect on it!"  
"It's too powerful!"  
"The village will be destroyed!"  
Minato stared at them for a moment and finally said, "Send out every available shinobi. I'm coming."  
He turned to Kakashi, "Follow me. We must find Sandaime-sama."  
"Every available shinobi…?" Iruka whispered, "Mom… Dad…"

Kakashi followed Minato to the Adminstration building where the Sandaime Hokage was waiting.  
"Minato…" Sandaime said when he saw them, "This is… your child?"  
Minato nodded.  
"And Kushina…?"  
Minato shook his head slowly.  
Sandaime sighed deeply, "How can this be…?"

"The creature, Sandaime-sama. What is it?" Minato asked.  
Sandaime's face clouded, "I thought it was just a legend…"  
"A legend?" Kakashi whispered.  
"It is the _Kyuubi_."  
"Kyuubi? You mean, one of the _bijuu_ – the tailed-beasts of legends?" Minato asked.  
"Yes – the kyuubi is the strongest of them all. The nine-tailed fox."

"Can we defeat this monster?" Minato asked.  
"I do not know. I cannot think of any attack that could possibly harm it…" Sandaime sighed, "It has managed to destroy a part of the village. Several people were hurt."  
"I think I know of a way to defeat it." Minato said. He gazed at the baby in his arms, "Sandaime… I must perform the _Shiki Fuujin_."  
Sandaime stared at the Fourth Hokage, "Yondaime-sama – that is forbidden."  
Minato managed a shaky smile, "So was my marriage to Kushina." He pressed his lips against the forehead of the baby and put him in the arms of Kakashi, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"  
A second Minato appeared. He glanced at the baby in Kakashi's arms and left, running towards the entrance of the village.

"Sandaime," Minato said, taking the baby from Kakashi, "We must prepare my son as the… the _Jinchuuriki_."  
"J-jinchuuriki?" Kakashi whispered.  
"He's just a baby, Minato!" Sandaime exclaimed.  
"He is my son." Minato said, "He is Kushina's son. He will grow to become a powerful shinobi. If he has the power of the Kyuubi, he will find a way to use it to protect the village."

_Present Day_

"Yondaime-sama used _Shiki Fuujin_ jutsu to capture the Kyuubi and seal it into you, Naruto. It was his Kage Bunshin who performed the jutsu in the field so that he could stay with you until the end," Kakashi said.

He didn't tell Naruto that he remembered every moment. He remembered the way Minato screamed when his soul was pulled from his body. He remembered the mark that appeared on Naruto's belly when the jutsu was finished. He remembered hearing the cheers of the people as they realized their Hokage had defeated the monster that threatened to destroy them all.

_15 Years Ago_

Kakashi held the baby at the mass funeral.  
Many shinobi died protecting the village from the Kyuubi. Their pictures were lined up. Right next to Minato's picture, which was in the middle and the largest, was Kushina. When the people heard she had died rescuing some men from the monster, the rumors of her personal life stopped. They began to talk of her as a hero. A hero belonging solely to Konoha. Below her picture, though, was the name, 'Uzumaki Kushina'.  
Kakashi argued that it should have been changed to 'Namikaze Kushina' but Sandaime had decided otherwise.

The baby, too, had the name Uzumaki Naruto.  
Sandaime explained to Kakashi that Naruto was the child of the Yondaime Hokage and if he kept his name – Namikaze - he would have powerful enemies. It would be safer for him if he kept the name of his mother – just another shinobi who died as a result of the Kyuubi.

When Kakashi's arms began to get tired, Iruka tugged on his arm and took the baby.  
After the funeral, Iruka stood before the pictures of his parents holding Naruto in his arms.  
Kakashi stood beside him.

"He is Yondaime-sama's son." Iruka said suddenly.  
Kakashi's eyebrows rose, "What makes you say that?"  
Iruka looked at Kakashi, "His hair is as yellow as the sun. Like Yondaime-sama." Iruka looked at the now-snoozing baby, "I heard that Yondaime-sama sealed the monster within him."  
Kakashi swallowed hard.

"Imagine… having an evil monster inside you." Iruka's voice cracked, "A murderous monster…"  
Kakashi began reaching for the baby.  
"…within an innocent child." Tears slid down Iruka's face. "This poor boy… his life will be hard."  
"Iruka-kun…?"  
"I know what you're thinking, Kakashi-kun." Iruka said, looking up, "I know what people will think about this boy when they find out about the demon inside him."  
He touched Naruto's baby-fine blond hair, "I also know, Kakashi-kun, that he's an innocent who didn't ask to be the cage of a monster. Others might not realize that but I do. That's why I promise to help care for him."  
"You will?"  
Iruka nodded and wiped the tears from his cheeks, "Of course. He's had this demon thrust upon him and he won't live an easy life but I will try to help him, as I can. He deserves that…"  
He smiled, "Only a baby and already a hero."

* * *

More to come.

-4ng3legg


	12. Forgiveness!

It was silent in the small apartment.  
Kakashi fiddled with his chopsticks.  
Naruto sat with his head back, staring up at the ceiling.  
Hinata watched Naruto nervously.

Finally, Naruto cleared his throat, wiped his face with his sleeves and looked at Kakashi, "Is… is there more?"  
Kakashi shook his head slowly, "I told you this story for a reason, Naruto."  
Naruto didn't reply.  
"Many people thought it would be wrong for Yondaime-sama and Kushina-chan to be together for several different reasons. Naruto, Hinata-chan…"  
Hinata looked at Kakashi.

"If you are serious about your relationship, this will be a situation for you, too. Many will not approve of your being together. Yondaime-sama and Kushina-chan made their decision and they never regretted it. Even when they experienced the consequences of their secret marriage, they never wanted to part. They never wished they hadn't gotten married. You said you made a promise of sorts, Naruto – it's up to you to keep that promise. You say you're in love? Prove it and don't let anyone tear you apart."  
Naruto reached out and found Hinata's hand on the table. He squeezed her hand gently and their fingers became entwined.

"There is another thing." Kakashi said, "I wanted you to know that your parents cared for you. You were wanted, Naruto. You were a hope for your father and a blessing for your mother. They died protecting their precious ones. Your mother cared deeply for every person in this village and your father cared deeply for her. When she died, he didn't have a chance to mourn her. He knew he had to protect you and the village he vowed to defend. You have made promises, Naruto and I expect you to live up to them. You must care for your precious ones – Hinata, your friends who are like your family, the village you love and that no longer sees you as just the boy with the demon but as a hero of Konoha who fought to protect her."

Naruto smiled, "I will."  
"I also wanted to apologize, Naruto." Kakashi said slowly.  
"Apologize?" Naruto repeated, surprised.  
"Yes. Iruka-kun and I vowed to care for you and we kept a watch over you, Naruto. But… we didn't realize that you were lonely. You didn't grow up knowing us as family and we should have provided that, too. I'm sorry, Naruto. I failed you in that manner."  
Naruto thought back and remembered when Iruka saved him from Mizuki.  
Iruka had cried, saying that he was sorry. That if he'd been more aware, Naruto wouldn't have had to feel lonely. Naruto remembered the event with a lump in his throat. He'd forgiven Iruka with ease. How couldn't he? He held no grudge.

Naruto grinned, "Kakashi-sensei, you don't have anything to apologize for. When I was younger I was lonely, but Iruka realized that soon enough. And he gave me the recognition I desired. Eventually, so did you and my friends." Naruto winked at Hinata, "I'm not lonely anymore, Kakashi-sensei. I'm happier than I ever thought I could be."  
Kakashi was silent for a moment, "You've certainly matured, Naruto."  
"I like to think so." Naruto joked.

Kakashi pushed back his chair, "Well, its getting late. I should be going. Goodnight Naruto, Hinata-chan." He moved towards the door.  
"Oh, Naruto." Kakashi said, turning to him, "Don't hesitate to ask me when you need something, okay? I want you to know that."  
Naruto grinned, "Well, there is something…"  
"What?"  
"Your mask, Kakashi-sensei. Take it off."  
Kakashi's eye widened, "My mask…? Are you still on that?"  
"Hey – I forgave you, Sensei. That's big. All I'm asking is one little favor. _Take off the mask_."

Kakashi regarded Naruto for a moment and then rolled his eye, "Jeez… you've got a one-track mind. Fine."  
He moved his hand towards his mask and lifted the cloth from his nose.  
Hinata watched Naruto's anticipating face with amusement.  
"Naruto…" Kakashi said, slowly, "I'm totally just screwing with you." He laughed and disappeared.  
"_Sonofabi-_"

"Naruto." Hinata grabbed his arm, "I have Byakugan."  
Naruto stared at her, "So?"  
"Byakugan can see _through_ things, Naruto. I can see through Kakashi-sensei's mask."  
Naruto's eyes widened, "Y-you can!? Well, tell me! What does it look like!?"  
Hinata grinned, "It's not anything special. He's not that good-looking. Just a nose and a mouth, like everyone else."  
"Is that all?"  
"Sorry to disappoint you, Naruto." Hinata sighed, "He probably just wears the mask to make himself _look_ mysterious."  
Naruto laughed, knowing somewhere out in the village was a masked man who thought he was too cool.

Kakashi stood, looking at a poster for a movie – "Icha Icha 2".  
He made a mental note to reserve tickets and suddenly sneezed once.

"You can stay, Hinata." Naruto said.  
She was standing at the door of his apartment, "I know, Naruto. But I think you need time to think. Come see me tomorrow and you can help me train Hanabi, ne?"  
Naruto watched her walk down the street towards her own house.  
He spent most of the night thinking about everything that Kakashi had told him.  
Deciding that sleep was just unavailable to him, he got up and began watering his plants.  
He was wide awake when the first rays of dawn began breaking through the clouds.

"Hinata!"  
Hinata buried her face in her pillow. It was too early to have to deal with Hanabi, "WHAT!?"  
"Wake up, Hinata! You're training me today and I'm gonna be prepared!" Hanabi opened the door, "Get up! Get dressed! I'm gonna eat breakfast and do my stretches!"  
Hinata groaned and pulled a pillow over her head, "Ok, ok… just, please, stop yelling."  
"Hey, Hinata?"  
"What?"  
"What's that?"  
"What's what?"  
"That plant on your windowsill, Hinata. That wasn't there yesterday."  
"Plant?" Hinata sat up and saw, sure enough, a potted plant on her window sill.

Hinata got out of bed and walked to the window.  
Around the base of the plant was a card written in Naruto's handwriting:

"Japanese Peace Lilly. Someone threw out a dying plant and I took it home and nourished it. It sprouted two more base stems. I separated the three and gave one to Iruka-sensei, one to Kakashi-sensei and kept the original for myself. Now it's yours. –Naruto"

Beneath the explanation were instructions on how to care for it.

"Hinata?"  
"It's a gift, Hanabi." Hinata said, softly.  
"Oh. Well, it's pretty." Hanabi left the room, "Hurry up, ne? It's a good day and I want to start training!"  
Hinata smiled out at the sun-lit day.  
"Hanabi's right. It is a good day." Hinata said just before she heard Neji screaming.

_Five Minutes Earlier_

Naruto was on his way to the Hyuuga house when he came across Shikamaru, "Hey, Shikamaru."  
"Eh? Oh, hey, Naruto."  
"Thanks for yesterday. I know I didn't give you an explanation but thanks for helping me out."  
"No problem, but I couldn't find Sai." Shikamaru said with a yawn.  
Naruto laughed nervously, "W-what?"  
"I said I couldn't find Sai. Plus, I was late to see Tsunade-sama so I had to stop looking for him. But don't worry about it. I'm sure Sai isn't one to just blab out whatever pops into his head, right?"

Naruto paled and suddenly felt as though he should be running, very fast.  
"What's wrong with Naruto?" Kiba asked, approaching with Akamaru, "He looks sick."  
"I mentioned Sai and he got like this." Shikamaru explained.  
"Sai?" Kiba repeated, "I just saw him. Talking to Neji… oh, there they are."  
"_**NARUTO!!!**_"

* * *

Oh, that Sai!

So - yes, Naruto has given a plant to Kakashi. It's in his aparment and its name is Mr. Ukki. I don't know if Naruto has given one to Iruka. I like to think that he did.  
I like the fact that Naruto likes plants.  
I'm a gardener so I like plants. Plants plants plants.

Japanese Peace Lilly is a nod to Hot Fuzz.

Oh and I firmly believe there is nothing special beneath Kakashi's mask. But... I still want to see it.

-4ng3legg 


	13. Group Conversation!

Naruto grinned unconvincingly at Neji, "N-neji-kun. What's, uh, what's wrong?"  
Neji, with a dangerous shine in his white eyes, walked slowly away from Sai and towards Naruto.

Naruto swallowed hard, "Neji…?"  
"Sai-kun just told me something, Naruto." Neji said in whisper, "Do you know what he told me?"  
Naruto quelled his shaking hands, "I… I think I have an idea, Neji."  
He stood up straighter and took a deep shuddering breath, "S-so, I understand if you think you need to… to… attack me. I won't stop you."  
Neji stood in front of Naruto, "You're just going to stand there and act self-righteous, Naruto, when you spent the night with… with… _Sakura_ and then… when I visited you, you told me you _loved_ Hinata…" Neji hissed.

"I know you're mad, Neji. I-_wait_, what did you say?"  
"You _heard_ what I said."  
"Actually, we ALL heard what you said, Neji." Kiba interjected.  
Neji turned his white eyes on Kiba.  
"I'm just saying, is all." Kiba shrugged and stepped back.

"Sai… Sai told you that I spent the night with Sakura?" Naruto repeated, "But, Neji, that's not true."  
"Are you kidding me? You expect me to believe Sai-kun just walks around spouting lies?"  
"No-"  
"Was that a lie?" Sai asked, walking into the group, "Ino told me that she'd definitely seen Sakura leaving your apartment, Naruto."  
"Yes, Sai and _thank you_ for spreading my personal information around!" Naruto barked.

"So Sakura DID leave your apartment!" Neji yelled, "You little…"  
"That's not the whole story!" Naruto said, "Listen to me, Neji. I did not spend the night with Sakura-chan _ever_."  
"Then why was Sakura-chan leaving your apartment, Naruto? Tell me that."  
"Yea, Naruto, tell us that." Kiba called, laughing.

"She visited me in the early morning. She left. Thus, her leaving my apartment, after visiting me in the early morning!" Naruto said, glaring at Kiba.  
"Then why did Ino say that Sakura was crying?" Sai asked, curiously.  
"Dammit, Sai!"  
"I bet I know why Sakura was crying." Kiba joked, "Who wouldn't be crying after spending the night with Naruto? Hahahahah!"  
Shikamaru suppressed a chuckle. Beside him, Shino appeared and Shikamaru stifled a yelp of surprise.  
"Kiba, I swear, I'm going to hurt you." Naruto sighed.

"What's going on here?" Tenten approached the group, "Eh? Neji? Naruto…?"  
"I was just going to ask the same thing." Shino said.  
"Sai said Ino told him Sakura and Naruto spent the night together." Kiba explained, "And Neji says that Naruto said that he loved Hinata. So Neji is mad that Naruto was with Sakura when he's claiming to love Hinata."  
"Oh… jeez." Tenten whispered, "N-neji! You're listening to gossip! How can you believe any of that? Did you see it happen?"  
Neji frowned, "No…"  
"Well! Then what is your proof? Isn't Naruto saying that he did not spend the night with Sakura?" Tenten asked, "Why would he lie to you about that?"  
"So I won't disembowel him."  
Tenten sighed, "I can't believe you're listening to this gossip spread by some chatterbox…"

"CHATTERBOX!?"  
Everyone turned to see Ino striding towards them, "I am NOT some _CHATTERBOX_."  
"Oh god." Naruto moaned.  
"How dare you!" Ino glared at Tenten, "I am not a liar."  
"So you saw Sakura leaving Naruto's apartment?" Neji asked.  
"Yes."  
Naruto gaped at her.  
"Ne, but I asked her about it later." Ino continued, "She said she was feeling depressed about Sasuke and she went to talk to the one other person in Konoha who understood how she felt – Naruto. That's why she was crying when she left. She was crying about Sasuke."

"Ah…" Tenten nodded, "Well that makes sense, Neji! See? Ne – Ino, I'm sorry I called you a chatterbox."  
Ino shrugged, "Yea, well… it's cool. I just wanted to tell Naruto that I'm sorry I spread around rumors about him." She grinned, "Next time, I'll make sure I know all the facts before I gossip about you, Naruto."  
"_Thanks_."

Neji glared at Naruto, "I suppose that makes sense…"  
"Hmm…" Shino murmured, his dark sunglasses shining.  
"Wait a second… if everything you're saying is true…" Shikamaru spoke up, "Naruto, why were you saying that you understand if Neji feels like he needs to attack you? Why were you saying that you know that he's mad?"  
Naruto paled.  
"YUP!" Kiba nodded, "That's pretty suspicious behavior."  
"That does seem suspicious." Sai agreed.

"I can't believe you just did that to me, Shikamaru." Naruto stared at the boy, "I mean, Kiba and Sai – they're dumb. They can't help that sometimes. But you, Shikamaru… you're supposed to be the genius."  
Shikamaru laughed nervously, "Oops… I… I was just curious… sorry?"

Neji snarled, "Na-ruu-to… Please. Answer. The. Questions."  
"What's happening?" Chouji asked Shikamaru as he munched from a bag of chips, "Why is everyone gathering here?"  
"Did Naruto just call us dumb?" Sai asked Kiba. Akamaru barked.  
"Remember what Ino told us yesterday?" Shikamaru asked.  
"About Naruto spending the night with a girl?" Chouji asked, "I remember. Why does Neji-kun look mad? Did Naruto spend the night with Tenten-chan?"  
"AH! BAKA!" Tenten cried, smacking Chouji on the arm, "Don't make up stuff! That's not true, dammit!"  
"OK, first of all – Tenten-chan – I'm not a freakin' punching bag. Second – if Naruto didn't spend the night with Tenten-chan, then why is Neji-kun mad?" Chouji asked, glaring at Tenten and rubbing his arm.

"Neji," Naruto said, his voice cracking, "_Ahem_, Neji… I said that because…"

"Ehh? What's happening here?" Sakura asked, walking into the group with Lee behind her, "Naruto? Neji?"  
"Sakura-chan," Neji said, "Did you or did you not spend the night with Naruto?"  
Sakura's eye twitched, "Who. Said. That?"  
"Sai-kun." Kiba said, pointing.  
Sai lost any color he had – which wasn't much to begin with, "No need to point, Kiba. She knows who Sai is! Sakura…! Uh… Ino told me."

Ino yelped, "I merely reported what I saw! B-but, remember, Sakura, I TALKED to you about it and YOU SAID you went to talk to NARUTO about SASUKE and THAT'S why you were crying. REMEMBER!? DO YOU REMEMBER?"  
Sakura stared at the blond girl, "OF COURSE I REMEMBER! SO… NO, Neji-kun. I did not spend the night with Naruto. That-that's not a lie. I visited him early in the morning. That's all. That's ALL!"  
Neji snarled again, "Ok. Fine. Then why are you expecting me to be mad, Naruto? Tell me _that_."

"What is going on here!?"  
Everyone turned and saw Hanabi standing there with Hinata behind her.  
"Ne, I was _trying_ to train when I saw this big group of people standing around Naruto and Neji-niichan! So I made the mistake of telling Hinata and she _had_ to run over here and find out what's going on! Someone tell me what's going on! I'm wasting precious training time!" Hanabi barked.  
"Hinata-sama, Hanabi, this doesn't concern you!" Neji said, "Please return to the house."

"No, niichan." Hinata said, "I _demand_ you explain this to me."  
Everyone stared at Hinata, their mouths hanging open.  
"Hinata-sama…" Neji said.  
"_Now_, niichan." Hinata said. Her soft voice was laced with a deadly promise.  
"Ooh…" Hanabi said, stepping back a few paces, "I know _that_ voice."

Neji's mouth twisted, "I heard a rumor from Sai-kun that Naruto spent the night with Sakura."  
"But I heard it from Ino." Sai interjected, "I… I didn't make it u-"  
"I saw her leaving his apartment!" Ino interrupted, "I'm not lying!"  
"I was leaving his apartment." Sakura said, "But I'd only gone to talk to him about Sasuke. That's why I was crying." She paused, "That… that hadn't been mentioned, had it? I didn't need to add that in, did I?"

"But Naruto was acting suspicious." Kiba said, "Shikamaru noticed that when Tenten nearly had Neji convinced that nothing was wrong."  
"Kiba – what's the matter with you? Are you trying to get me yelled at?" Shikamaru asked, annoyed, "Jeez…"  
"Nearly? I had this situation sewed up." Tenten grumbled, "Then _Shikamaru_ had to say something."  
"And then it starts!" Shikamaru sighed.

"I just wanted to know why Neji looked so mad." Chouji said through a mouthful of chips.  
"Because Naruto said that he's in love with Hinata but Neji thinks he spent the night with Sakura." Shino said softly.  
"Could we all stop saying that? Because, it's not true." Sakura asked, "I would really like it if everyone stopped saying that I spent the night with Naruto."  
"Yes, I think that would be for the best." Lee said, "That kind of stuff doesn't need to be getting around."

"Ok." Hinata's voice rose, "I've heard enough."

Everyone quieted and turned to the normally quiet girl.  
"Neji-niichan, please follow me." Hinata said, "Hanabi, please return home. I will be there in a moment."  
"H-hai, Hinata." Hanabi took one look back at Neji, shook her head and scurried home.

Naruto slumped to the ground, her heart pounding in his ears.  
He wanted to know what Hinata was going to tell her cousin but, at the moment, he didn't feel the need to be within reaching distance of Neji.

When Hinata and Neji turned a corner, everyone began buzzing.  
"Naruto!" Kiba said, "Tell us the story! Come on! Neji's not here!"  
"Oh, grow up, Kiba!" Tenten sighed.  
"What time is it?" Shikamaru asked, "Oh crap, I'm supposed to be at Tsunade-sama's office five minutes ago!"  
"Hahhahha, you'd better run, Shikamaru." Chouji laughed.  
"You need to get your mouth sewed shut, Ino-pig!" Sakura hissed.  
"Shut your face, Sakura!" Ino growled.  
"Why is everyone acting so strangely?" Shino asked Lee.  
Lee sighed and shook his head.  
"I feel partly responsible for this." Sai noted, "Is that normal?"

* * *

Yes, Sai. It's perfectly normal to feel responsible for a situation when you _are_ responsible.

I wanted everyone to walk in and have a say in the conversation.  
So everyone did.  
Everyone except Sasuke. But what would he have to say in this situation?  
"Uhh... look, have you seen Itachi? no? then i'm outta here."

Poor Shino - he didn't have much to say. But then he never says much, does he?  
Kiba - I love Kiba. He's crazy-bananas. I can totally see him egging on Neji.  
"Yeaaa... kick his ass, Neji!"

So bad!  
-4ng3legg


	14. Her Cousin!

Neji followed his cousin all the way to the Public Park.  
He followed her up the long flight of stairs and finally followed her to an empty bench.  
Hinata sat down and looked up at the clouds in the sky.  
Neji sat beside her and stared at his hands.

Finally, Hinata took a deep breath, "Neji-niichan…"  
"I just don't want to see Naruto hurt you, Hinata!" Neji interrupted, "He's spent so much time pining for Sakura-chan and now I'm supposed to believe he's just forgotten all about her and all of his attention is focused on you?"  
Hinata sighed, "Neji… you're a genius ninja."  
"…thanks?"  
"You're welcome. I say that because I want you to know that I respect you and acknowledge you as someone of high intelligence. But there are times, Neji, that you can be the dumbest boy I know. And I'm friends with Kiba and I know Sai. And I love Naruto but that boy can be dense sometimes, too. But Neji… you take the cake."

Neji gaped at the usually quiet girl.  
"H-hinata-sama… did you just call me dumber than _Naruto_?"  
"Not quite, Neji-niichan. I called you the dumbest boy I know." Hinata corrected him, patiently.  
Neji sat in shocked silence, "Well," Hinata smiled, "Maybe the second dumbest. I know Sasuke-kun and he doesn't exactly impress me with his common sense, either."

Hinata laughed, "Ne, niichan, you're my cousin and we've been getting to know each other for a while now and I care very much for you. I know you're worried about me, niichan and I appreciate that." Hinata told him, "But you're not my father, Neji. You asked me, when I was in hospital, if I cared for Naruto. What did I tell you?"  
Neji rolled his eyes, "You said you _loved_ him."  
"Love." Hinata corrected him again, "Not past-tense, niichan. I _love_ him."  
Neji exhaled sharply, "You're only fifteen!"

"I've loved him for a very long time, niichan." Hinata said, smiling.  
"Hinata-sama…"  
"_Neji_, I'm still talking." Hinata gave him a cool look, "I've made my decision, niichan. My feelings are not going to change."  
"You don't know that!"  
"Neji – this isn't a discussion about how I _should_ feel. This is me telling you that this _is_ how I feel. The end. I do not want to hear you bad-mouthing Naruto or arguing with him on matters such as these. I know the rumor, niichan, I've already heard it and I know – for a fact – that Naruto did not spend the night with Sakura."  
"Why? Because _he_ told you that?" Neji smirked.  
"No, niichan. Because he spent the night with me."

For a moment, Neji looked as though he'd just been hit over the head with a sledgehammer.  
Hinata grabbed his arm when he jumped up.  
"Hinata-sama, please release my arm because I have to castrate someone."  
"Gee, I wonder who." Hinata said sarcastically, "_Sit down, Neji_."  
"No… see, no. Because I don't believe you, Hinata-sama. No. I don't."  
Hinata laughed suddenly, "Is it such a surprise to find that your quiet little cousin has already…?"  
"_Do not_ finish that sentence, Hinata-sama. I'm begging you." Neji shuddered.

"Neji-niichan," Hinata said, "I know you want to protect me because you feel guilty for all the time that you hated me."  
"_Hated you?_ I never…!"  
"Ne, niichan, I'm not stupid. I was in that fight, just the same as you. I know you would have killed me if the jounin hadn't stepped in." Hinata linked her arm with Neji's, "But you don't have to feel so guilty. It's all in the past, niichan. I don't hold a grudge. You have to let me make my own decisions without second-guessing me every time."  
Neji glowered in silence.

"In any case, Niichan, I thought you respected Naruto."  
Neji snorted, "I respect his tenacity, Hinata-sama and his willingness to fight for those he cares for…"  
"Then wouldn't you want me to be with someone who would fight for me?"  
"Fight? He was trembling in his sandals." Neji smiled darkly.  
"But he wasn't running. He was going to stand there and take it, whether or not he deserved it."  
"But he kept… _talking_…"  
"Neji," Hinata laughed, "You accused him of spending the night with Sakura-chan. He was clearing _that_ up."  
"I _do_ respect him, Hinata-sama, but he's not good enough for you!"

"Sama? Not good enough for me?" Hinata repeated before bursting out into laughter, "Neji – I wish you wouldn't be so honorific with me. You call me Hinata-sama, as if I was someone important. You say Naruto isn't good enough for me. Why can't you just call me Hinata-imouto? Or just Imouto? I call you big brother. What's wrong with calling me little sister?"  
"B-because… you're not _just_ my little sister, Hinata-sa… uh…" Neji sputtered.  
"I'm just telling you that you don't have to be so formal with me. And you are certainly not needed to decide for me." Hinata said, "But that doesn't mean I don't need you, Neji-niichan."

Hinata stood up and began walking towards the stairs, "Oh and one more thing, Niichan?"  
Neji looked up at her, "Yes?"  
Hinata turned to him, "You won't say one word to my father, Neji, or my good friend, Tenten-chan will hear about _Satu Satu_."  
Neji paled and gasped, "How do you know about…?"  
"Why does everyone keep forgetting that I have byakugan?" Hinata asked rhetorically, "I can see through walls, Neji and I know where you keep Satu Satu."  
"You wouldn't!"  
Hinata smiled and walked to the stairs, "They say it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for, Niichan."

Naruto was standing at the bottom of the stairs when Hinata came down. A few feet behind him, everyone – except Shikamaru – was still standing around, talking.  
Sai was rubbing his arm gently and Kiba was cleaning out his ear with a disgruntled expression on his face.  
"Are you okay?" Naruto asked when Hinata approached.  
"Of course." Hinata said, "What happened to Sai-kun and Kiba-kun?"  
Naruto grinned, "Well, with the help of Kage Bunshin and the element of surprise, Indian burn and wet willy."  
Hinata wrinkled her nose and laughed.  
"I'm not through with them, though." Naruto said, "But I'm going to let them drift into a false sense of security and then I'll launch my attack…"

He shook his head, "But what about Neji? What did you talk about?"  
"We got some things out into the open." Hinata said smoothly. Her voice dropped, "I told him about us."  
Naruto's eyes grew wide, "You mean…?"  
"About that night." Hinata expanded, "But don't worry."  
"Don't worry? Neji's going to decapitate me… if your father doesn't get to me first."

"Neji won't say a word." Hinata smiled, "Because if he does his _sugar_ will know about his sugar-sugar."  
Naruto smiled in relief, "Oh. Ok."  
"Why is everyone still gathered here?" Hinata asked.  
"I don't know. They heard a lot of information back there. They probably want the full story." Naruto grumbled, "Wait… his sugar will know about his sugar-sugar? What does that mean?"

* * *

I know its short but whaddya gonna do about it?

Um, Satu Satu translated literally is: Sugar Sugar.  
I took it from the name of an oldies song by the band, The Archies.

I'm running low on ideas but the next chapter(s?) will be Naruto telling a story.  
Can you guess what its about?  
I bet you can.

-4ng3legg 


	15. That Mission!

"So tell us, Naruto." Kiba said, "What's the real story?"  
"You people are such gossips." Naruto said, rolling his eyes, "I'm sure all of this is _none_ of your businesses! So stop with the buzzy bugging!"  
"Buzzy bugging?" Shino repeated.  
"Ne, isn't it obvious, Kiba-kun?" Ino asked, "Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan are… _dating_!"  
All the girls – except Hinata – squealed.

"Dating?" Kiba stared at Naruto, "Since when?"  
"Ten months." Naruto said, "Since _that_ mission."  
"SINCE THEN!?" Kiba's jaw dropped, "I didn't notice."  
"I did." Shino said.  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kiba asked.  
"I thought it was obvious."

Kiba glared at Shino and then turned to Hinata, "Is it true?"  
"Yes." Neji said glumly, returning to the group, "Apparently, it is."  
Tenten regarded him silently and made a mental note to talk to him later about what he and Hinata had talked about.

"So Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan started dating during _that_ mission." Lee said, "What else happened? It's been months and no one has told me what happened!"  
"Ah, yea!" Chouji said, eating from another bag of chips, "I want to know, too."  
"Me, too!" Ino chimed in, "Ne… _Chouji!_" she whispered, "_You agreed to lay off on the chips._"  
"_No, I didn't._" Chouji whispered back, "_You entered my head with your jutsu and wouldn't allow me to eat until I said whatever you wanted to hear._" He stepped a few steps away from her as if she would suddenly lunge and swipe his chips from him.

"I wouldn't mind hearing what happened." Neji said, suddenly, "I heard you ran into _both_ the Uchiha brothers."  
"What's this about Uchiha brothers?" Shikamaru asked, walking back into the group, "What's going on? What happened with Naruto?"  
"Everyone wants to know what happened in _that_ mission." Sakura said, "Apparently, that's when Naruto and Hinata started dating."  
"Oh – so they're dating?" Shikamaru leered at Naruto.  
"Aren't you supposed to be with Tsunade-sama?" Naruto asked, scathingly.

"I already saw her. Apparently the Sand village is sending Temari-san here for another diplomacy mission and she's requested me as her guide." Shikamaru sighed, "It's so troublesome."  
"Isn't Temari-san the sister of the Sand Kazekage, Gaara?" Sai asked, "I've heard about them."  
"I've heard about Temari-san, too." Kiba said solemnly, "I've heard Shikamaru likes her."  
"Ooh!" Ino squealed, "Really, Shikamaru? You like Temari-san? You would make a cuuute couple."  
"What…?" Shikamaru paled, "No…!"  
"I've seen the way Temari-san looked at you when she was in the village last time." Sakura giggled, "I think she likes you, too."  
"But I don't…"  
"Isn't she a lot older than you, Shikamaru? Are you okay with that?" Tenten asked.  
"No! I mean, yes! I mean…" Shikamaru sputtered, "I don't _like_ her!"  
"Temari-san always kind of reminded me of Tsunade-sama." Chouji said, thoughtfully, "They're both strong-spirited, aren't they?"  
"I bet Shikamaru likes strong-willed girls, right?" Kiba laughed, "Girls who demand to have their way!"

"How do you like it?" Naruto asked Shikamaru, "It's awesome when they get into your business, right?"  
"Tell me, Naruto," Shikamaru said loudly, "What _did_ happen on that mission? I don't even know how Hinata-chan was injured."  
"Actually." Sakura piped up, "I don't know how she was injured either!"  
Naruto grinned at Shikamaru, "Well, we'd finally caught up to Sasuke but he was traveling with a group! Two males and a female and Sasuke. We chased them through the forest and with my clones, I learned their names. Suigetsu – a white-haired, sharp-toothed freak that grinned like a kappa. Kakashi-sensei said he was one of the Hidden Mist's Houzuki Brothers and he carried the sword of Zabuza. Karin – the female shinobi who could sense other's chakra and Juugo – a tall, big guy who had the cursed seal. Finally, they stopped in a clearing. Yamato-taichou, Hinata and I confronted them. Sasuke declared that he was going to kill me because I refused to stop chasing him. But then… _Uchiha Itachi_ walked out into the clearing!"  
Hinata shuddered as she remembered seeing those red eyes and then realized, with her Byakugan, that it was just an illusion.

"He stood between me and Sasuke and said that he couldn't allow him to kill me because his group – Akatsuki – needed to capture me alive. Sasuke said he would rather kill Itachi, anyway. But then Suigetsu suddenly attacked Itachi, saying that he would kill him for Sasuke. But Itachi was merely a _Bunshin_. It vanished, leaving me open for the unexpected attack." Naruto paused and realized everyone was listening to his every word.

"Jeez!" Kiba exclaimed, "Don't stop suddenly! What happened?"  
"I stood there, expecting to be skewered through when I saw someone throw herself in front of me – Hinata." Naruto smiled at her, "Suigetsu's blade pierced her from front to back. I was only scratched before the blade was stopped by Sasuke!"

Hinata rubbed her stomach in the area of the healed wound.  
She'd been embarrassed about the scar when she spent the night with Naruto but he quickly dispelled that embarrassment when he kissed the scar, telling her that it would always be a testament of her strength and willingness to protect those who were precious to her.  
He told her that it was proof of her love for him.  
Naruto entwined his fingers with hers as he continued the story.

"Sasuke stopped the blade but then he pulled it out with no concern. He said that I should blame myself for her injury because people wanted to sacrifice themselves for me. He left with his group and I sent my clones to continue chasing them. That's when Sakura got there."  
Naruto squeezed Hinata's hand. She knew that he wouldn't say what she had said when she thought she would die. Her words at that time were his and Naruto was unwilling to share them with anyone.

"Sakura did what she could with her jutsu but Hinata had to get to a hospital. So I brought her back here to Konoha and when I made sure Tsunade-sama was caring for her, personally, I returned to the mission."  
"I'd heard all those rumors." Tenten said, "They were crazy!"  
"Yea, I'd heard Naruto developed a jutsu enabling him to fly just so he could bring Hinata-chan home faster." Chouji laughed, "That was weird!"  
"I heard it took ten ninja's to take Hinata-chan down." Lee said.  
"Just one." Hinata blushed, "I heard a lot of those rumors, too, when I was in the hospital."  
"So while Naruto-kun was taking Hinata_…i-imouto_ to the hospital, was everyone else was chasing Sasuke?" Neji asked, stumbling over the suffix.  
Everyone stared at Neji.  
"…what?"

"You and Hinata-chan are siblings?" Sai asked, clearly confused, "I thought you were cousins."  
"He's like my brother, Sai-kun." Hinata said.  
"Like that friend of yours, Sai." Sakura said, "Then one you called 'brother'."  
"Ah! I understand." Sai nodded, smiling. Naruto thought he looked like a pleased cat when he smiled.

"But, yea." Kiba said, "We continued chasing Sasuke-kun. We followed Naruto's clones and they looked _pissed_. Sasuke-kun had taken the opportunity of Hinata's injury to move faster so we had some catching up to do."

_Ten Months Earlier_

"How did this happen!?" Kiba roared, "How was she injured, Naruto!?"  
Akamaru ran with a renewed urgency and Kiba could feel the dog's tensed muscles. When the two smelled blood, they both took notice. When they realized the smell of the blood was familiar, they grew concerned. When Kiba saw his friend, lying on the floor of the forest in a pool of her blood, he felt scared. He knew Akamaru was scared, too. Hinata had always been nice to him and now he could smell her blood in the air. It was disturbing to the canine.  
''_Who is vicious enough to willfully hurt Hinata?'_ Kiba thought, '_It'd be like willfully hurting puppies and kittens! It's just not right!_'  
One of the several clones ran alongside Kiba, "The white-haired one with the big sword – Suigetsu. He did this."  
"Suigetsu." Shino repeated from the other side of Kiba.  
"Suigetsu." Kiba growled, "I'll remember that." Akamaru howled.

Naruto's clones stampeded through the forest leaving broken branches and showers of leaves in their wake.  
"You have to calm down!" Yamato cried, "All of you! We don't have time to keep stopping so that I can control _it_."  
The clones seemed to ignore him and then suddenly, they all seemed much calmer.  
Only Shino noticed the pink in the cheeks of the clones.  
"What happened?" Shino asked one of the clones. He blushed and shook his head, "N-nothing – ah, we're gaining on them! I can hear Sasuke reprimanding Suigetsu!"

"You will never do that again, Suigetsu." Sasuke said, "_I_ knew Itachi was a formless clone. I will tell you when to act. If Hinata-chan hadn't stopped you from injuring Naruto, he'd have destroyed you."  
Sasuke grimaced, remembering the epic battle he'd had with Naruto. At that time, he didn't know how Naruto was able to survive – especially when Sasuke had punched through his body and punctured his lung – and he didn't know where the red chakra came from. All that time they spent together and Sasuke could only realize that he barely knew Naruto.

So Sasuke asked Orochimaru about it.  
_Orochimaru seemed intrigued when, during a break from training, Sasuke asked, 'What do you know about Uzumaki Naruto?'  
_'_Uzumaki Naruto…' Orochimaru repeated slowly. He said the name as if he were tasting each and every letter.  
_'_Do you know who he is?' Sasuke asked.  
_'_I know who he is.' Orochimaru said, 'I remember that blond hair… just like Yondaime.'  
_'_Yondaime-sama?'_

'_Why are you asking about Uzumaki Naruto? Wasn't he the boy who tried to stop you and your search for power?'  
__Sasuke hesitated for a moment. Orochimaru seemed to view Naruto as merely a distraction for Sasuke. But Sasuke understood that Naruto hadn't been trying to stop Sasuke's entire search for power – just the path that led to Orochimaru.  
_'_We fought when he tried to stop me… coming here. He nearly won.'  
_'_Against you?'  
_'_He healed from a fatal injury.' Sasuke said, 'Afterwards, the injury wasn't even a factor. It was as if I had never hurt him. Then he was surrounded by a red chakra that I'd never seen before. The chakra looked like it had long ears and a tail…'  
_'_A tail?' Orochimaru asked, 'As in one?'  
__'Yes. One tail.'_

'_Hmm…' Orochimaru thought this over, 'Well… Uzumaki Naruto is the boy that Yondaime sealed the demon nine-tailed fox in, thirteen years ago. He holds within him a powerful demon.'  
_'_So that red chakra was coming from the demon?'  
_'_Yes.'  
_'_Powerful. He used that power and he still lost.' Sasuke sneered, 'It must not be that powerful.'  
__Orochimaru laughed, 'Ah, Sasuke… you don't know a thing.'  
_'_What?'  
_  
'_You said he had one tail, correct?'  
_'_Yes.'  
'The demon has, in total, nine tails, Sasuke-kun. If Naruto only had one at the time, then he was using only a fraction of the power of the demon. If Naruto had continued growing tails, then he would have destroyed you, Sasuke.'  
_'_Destroyed me?'  
_'_Yes.' Orochimaru stated matter-of-factly, 'You wouldn't have been able to stand a chance against him.'_

"Destroyed me?" Suigetsu said, "Impossible."  
"Move faster." Sasuke said, looking back at Suigetsu with his Sharingan eyes, "You made him angry and an angry Naruto is not something we have time to deal with."  
"Deal with!" Karin sneered, "I could take him down."  
Sasuke shook his head, "If he gets angry enough, not even _I_ could take him down. He nearly beat me with one tail. Orochimaru barely survived with four tails and that's because someone else stopped Naruto. Four tails and that's not even half of his full power."

"You talk like he's so scary." Suigetsu tried to grin. There was something disturbing about Sasuke being nervous about an opponent.  
"What's all this about tails?" Juugo asked.  
"Just remember," Sasuke said, "If he starts growing tails, get the hell out of there. If you don't – he'll probably kill you and I don't need for any of you to be dead…"  
"Oh, Sasuke! You _do_ care." Karin squealed.  
"…yet." Sasuke finished, ignoring her.  
Karin grimaced.  
Suigetsu and Juugo exchanged a glance but couldn't reply.

Naruto had caught up and, just as Sasuke had said, Suigetsu had made him angry.  
As several clones surrounded them, a few surged ahead to block the group from escaping.  
Sasuke aimed a Chidori-punch at one of the clones and hit but the others seemed to ignore him. They dodged him and moved towards Suigetsu.  
"_MOVE, SUIGETSU!_" Sasuke yelled.  
Too late! Suigetsu had been distracted by the clones in the trees around them that he hadn't seen the ones in front.  
"YOU!" Three Naruto clones roared as they attacked and dug their fists into Suigetsu's stomach.  
Suigetsu cried out and toppled to the floor below.  
The three clones followed him down while the others continued following Sasuke.

"Leave him." Sasuke called, punching down another clone.  
"L-leave him?" Karin repeated, "But…!"  
"MOVE!" Sasuke yelled.

Suigetsu crashed to the ground on his back.  
The three clones landed nimbly, kunais in hand.  
"What…" Suigetsu groaned, "…happened?"  
He looked up and saw a clone descending to meet him.  
The clone stabbed in the area of the heart but it was too late!  
Suigetsu dissolved and managed to make it a few feet before he had to reform into his solid self, "Shit!" He groaned, "Not enough water… damn Karin…"  
The clones ignored his quick escape. They knew he was in trouble. He just said so.

* * *

The story begins! So I said, Naruto was telling the story but its actually everyone who was there. :P 

"imouto" little sister. You know that, right? Yea, I knew you did.

So Sasuke really thinks Naruto is that strong?  
Maybe.  
Sasuke isn't stupid - he nearly lost during that battle with Naruto and he only had one tail.  
Sure, Sasuke got stronger but if Naruto ever went full Kyuubi, he'd probably be able to take out everyone.  
I figure Sasuke would ask Orochimaru about the Kyuubi and he'd know something about all that.  
I know Sasuke was about to use a jutsu to destroy Naruto or something back when Team Kakashi found him and I figure Sasuke already knew about the Kyuubi then. So if he knew Naruto could destroy him, why would he try to kill him anyway?  
He knows Naruto would never try to kill him (he'd maim him, but not KILL him) so he was taking advantage of Naruto's affection for him.  
But he warns Hebi about Naruto because Naruto doesn't know or care about the people of Hebi - if given the chance, Naruto would probably kill them, leaving Sasuke without his chosen members.  
OK, hope that made sense.

Ok, I hope you enjoyed!  
-4ng3legg


	16. Split Up!

Suigetsu climbed to his feet. He needed to find water. A lot of it, if he was going to use it to escape. The lack of water had weakened him – not to mention lugging around that giant sword and then running through a forest being chased by a crazy blond.  
"Look," Suigetsu said slowly, "I wasn't trying to hurt your girlfriend back there."  
The three clones didn't respond. They were devising a plan and thanks to the nature of the Kage Bunshine jutsu, they didn't need to talk out loud in order to discuss it.  
Suigetsu discreetly sniffed the air.  
There was water but it wasn't near, "I was trying to kill Uchiha Itachi… you know who that is, right? Sasuke said you were his best friend."

Naruto was nearing Konoha and Hinata was looking pale.  
"We're almost there." He said. He felt a shiver down his spine.  
Sasuke had talked about him? He had called him his best friend… to others?  
Hinata didn't respond. Her white eyes were a dull gray. He needed to move faster.  
Hinata needed Tsunade-sama and his comrades chasing Sasuke needed him.

"I know who Uchiha Itachi is." One of the clones said.  
"Sasuke wants him dead. So I tried to kill him. I wasn't aiming for that girl. She got in the way."  
The clones tensed. Suigetsu realized he said something he shouldn't have.  
"No, she… that's not what I meant. It was an accident." Suigetsu frowned. He couldn't figure out which was the water was. It was too far. Or maybe there was a lot, surrounding them. He smiled and showed all his sharp teeth. That was a good thing.

"Need some help?" A voice called from above, "I'd watch this one. He's looking for water."  
Suigetsu looked up to see a strange boy in the tree branches with red marks on his face and slit pupils. He sat atop a huge white dog.  
"I know." The clones said in unison, "He doesn't have enough water to turn his body liquid right now…"  
"I didn't kill your friend." Suigetsu said, starting to get a little nervous. He grew weaker with each passing minute. His body was able to draw water from his environment but there was very little in the air.

"That's true, you didn't kill her." The Naruto clones agreed, "And I will extend that same _courtesy_."  
Kiba and Akamaru jumped down and landed heavily behind Suigetsu, "We won't kill you."  
"No, you won't die." The clones murmured, "But you'll get pretty close."

Suigetsu bared his sharp teeth. He staggered a bit and supported himself on his sword.  
His sword now. No longer Zabuza's.  
Suigetsu grimaced. Once upon a time, he was to be one of the Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. He wasn't going to die here against a couple of clones and a boy and his dog.  
Suigetsu hefted the sword and swung it wildly at the clones, Kiba and Akamaru.  
A clone was hit and Suigetsu took the opportunity of running under the cover of the smoke that appeared.

"If he gets to water, he'll either escape or grow stronger." Kiba told the clones as they gave chase.  
"That sword will slow him down." One of the clones said, "And we're not the only clones nearby."  
Kiba nodded, "We'll move forward to block."  
"Hai!" The clones said as Kiba and Akamaru jumped into the trees.

_Meanwhile…_

Shino caught up to Kakashi and Yamato, "Kiba went after Suigetsu and a couple of the clones."  
Kakashi nodded, "According to what we know, the least powerful will probably be the girl."  
"I've got her." Sakura said. She had a dangerous glint in her eye.  
"Then that leaves the big one and Sasuke." Yamato said.  
"I'll take Sasuke." Kakashi said.  
"Then that leaves the big one for Shino-kun and I." Yamato said, "Got that, Shino-kun?"  
"Got it." Shino said, his sunglasses shining.

"Take down the girl." Kakashi told a nearby clone, "And assist Sakura however you can."  
The clone nodded and increased his speed, motioning for two other clones to follow.  
A moment later they heard a scream and cry, "SASUUUUKE! HELP MEEE!"  
No reply.  
Sakura jumped down to the floor of the forest, "Good luck!" She called, "I'll see you in a minute."

Sakura found the girl climbing to her feet, "So you're his best friend, huh?" She asked the clones.  
"And you're Karin, the chakra-sensing shinobi." Sakura said.  
Karin looked at her, "Oh! So you've heard of me? I'm flattered. Who… are you?"  
"A friend of Sasuke."  
"Not much of a friend." Karin said, smiling, "He's running pretty fast. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to see your _face_." She adjusted her glasses.  
Sakura grinned, "He sure is running," she agreed, "He didn't even stop to see if you were okay."

Karin narrowed her eyes, "Because he knows he doesn't have to help me. I can take care of myself."  
"You'd better hope to hell you can." Sakura said, pulling on her black gloves, "Because I'm not holding back." She roared and ran at Karin, her fist pulled back.  
"Ooh… I'm so scared." Karin said. She saw the clones surrounding her pull back, away from Sakura, "…what?"  
Karin gasped. There was a huge amount of chakra coming from the pink-haired girl's fist. Where had that come from!?  
She jumped back, causing Sakura to land her punch into the ground.

Almost in slow-motion, the ground shook and the earth rippled from the punch. Sakura looked up at Karin, a dark smile on her face. Karin was too close. She was caught in the air emanating from the blow and was thrown backwards.  
"HOLY SHI-" Karin managed to scream before she was thrown against a tree.  
She struggled to her feet and jumped aside just as Sakura landed another punch into the tree.  
The trunk exploded, sending wood splinters everywhere.

"No good running." Sakura yelled as she smashed the ground with the heel of her foot.  
Karin screamed as the ground split open into a gaping maw. The fissure moved towards her and she scrambled to move out of the way, covering her eyes from the dust.  
Karin's brain raced, '_She's strong! What kind of freak…?_'  
"Distracted." Sakura said, standing in front of her. She flicked her forehead and Karin screamed as she was thrown backwards.

She tumbled away and landed face down several feet away.  
"W-who are you?" Karin groaned, raising herself up onto her knees.  
"That's not your biggest problem right now." Sakura said, "You can worry about that later… _if you're still alive_."

Sasuke heard the explosion and Karin's accompanying scream and wondered who she was up against.  
All he'd seen was Naruto, Hinata and Yamato and they said Sakura and Kakashi were there but who else could have come?  
For only the briefest of moments, Sasuke felt sorry for Sakura.  
He'd chosen each of his team members for a reason – they were powerful and they had needed abilities. The Sakura he remembered was only smart. It didn't matter who she went up against. She didn't stand a chance.

Sakura held Karin by the throat, "Why did Sasuke choose you for his team?"  
Karin struggled against Sakura's small hand, "I… I don't…" She felt dizzy. The small pink-haired girl was cutting off her air supply.  
Sakura loosened her grip.  
"Don't know…" Karin groaned, "Didn't… tell us…"  
"No matter." Sakura said, slamming Karin against a tree.  
The girl groaned and her head lolled forward.

"Not dead." Sakura said, tossing the limp form to the floor, "But she'll be sore when she wakes up."  
Sakura pulled a spool of wire from her bag.  
"Not bad…" Karin said. Sakura looked up.  
Karin was standing up, rubbing her neck, "But you got cocky."

* * *

So short! I know!

So I need some help, yea? I need to think up some new attacks for Kiba and Shino and I need some ideas for attacks for Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo.  
Send ideas!

I'll try and get more up tonight!

-4ng3legg


	17. The Jutsu's of Hebi!

Yamato and Shino parted away from Kakashi, "Good look, Sempai." Yamato called to Kakashi.  
He nodded, "Good luck, Tenzou."  
Yamato grinned but didn't reply.

"I heard you use bugs." Yamato said.  
Shino nodded, his sunglasses shining, "I've heard some things about you, too."  
Yamato nodded, "So we know the big guy, Juugo, has a curse seal – have you heard about those?"  
"Yes."  
"He could be strong."

"You're ANBU." Shino said, matter-of-factly, "You should be strong, too."  
Yamato glanced at the near-silent teen, running along side him, "Who… how did you…?"  
"The entire village of Konoha…" Shino said, "…is bugged." His left eyebrow rose and Yamato wondered if he was joking.  
"Ah…" Yamato coughed, "I hear you're strong, so… I think we can take him."  
Shino nodded.

"Keep an eye out." Sasuke told Juugo, "Suigetsu and Karin haven't rejoined us and they'll be after you next."  
Juugo nodded, a worried look in his eye. There was a tension in the air. A fight was coming and that was something Juugo didn't want to be involved in.

_Juugo had had some training to become a shinobi until he was 10-years-old. It started with his moods shifting constantly. He'd be happy, and then suddenly so angry. He'd cry and laugh at the same time. Juugo thought he was going insane. His moods grew less angry but more bloodthirsty. He wasn't even mad. He just wanted to hurt people. He managed to control the urge for a short time and then one day he snapped._

_He had always been the biggest kid in school but no one really bothered him about it. Until he accidentally bumped into an older student. The guy started getting into Juugo's face. Juugo didn't want trouble. He just wanted to get away from the situation.  
__But the guy wouldn't stop barking in his face.  
__Juugo saw red._

_The rest of the memory was like flashes. The guy was on the floor, his face bruised and bloodied. Juugo was screaming and laughing. He held the guy's arm in his hands and bent until he heard a satisfying snap.  
__There was screaming all around.  
Cries for help.  
__Someone grabbed him from behind. Juugo wasn't ready to stop.  
__He had an ability he could use. The ability to morph his body into a stronger version – but it was ugly. A demon.  
__He morphed.  
__  
When the fog finally lifted, he was strapped to a hospital bed.  
It had taken fifteen ninjas to take him down. _

_After that, he'd been banished from his home village. He wandered aimlessly for months before he began hearing about Orochimaru in the Hidden Village of Sound in the Rice Field Country.  
__Juugo had traveled there, hoping to find a cure from the man who was said to be a great scientist.  
__But Orochimaru hadn't helped. His abilities grew more out of control and Orochimaru kept him locked up, using him only in experiments like a lowly lab rat. _

_When he was clearheaded, Juugo just wanted to be free and alone. Far from everyone so he couldn't hurt anyone.  
__But when the fog settled on him, he just wanted to kill.  
Death.  
__Blood.  
__He wanted to see the blood.  
__He wanted it so bad, his own blood began pounding in his ears until all he could think about was blood.  
__He wanted it on the floor. On his hands.  
__And he'd laugh and laugh about it. He'd laugh long and loud, often scaring the jailers.  
As long as Juugo was in his room, he wasn't a danger to them but that laugh scared them._

Now, he could hear his blood pounding in his ears.  
They were being chased by strangers that Sasuke had a connection to and one of them – the blue-eyed blond – made Sasuke nervous.  
Juugo didn't want to hurt anyone.  
He just wanted to be free of his bloodlust.

A small bug hovered in front of his face.  
Juugo tried to swat it but it just maneuvered around his hand and flew closer to his eye.  
Juugo shook his head and swatted around his face.  
"What's the matter with you?" Sasuke asked.  
"There's this damn bug…" Juugo said, flicking himself in the eye, "Jeez!"  
"Bug…?" Sasuke repeated, "_Shino_."  
"Wha-" Juugo's eyes grew wide.

A second Sasuke was running in front of him, "Why're you using a Bunshin?" Juugo asked.  
The two Sasuke's didn't seem to hear him.  
Juugo stared. They both had bugs hovering near their ears.  
"Sasuke!" Juugo called, realizing that he couldn't hear anything except buzzing.  
"What's going on?" Juugo cried.  
One of the Sasuke's turned and Juugo barely managed to dodge the kick he aimed at him.  
"What're you doing!?"

One Sasuke kept running.  
The other hovered and then dissolved into a mass of bugs.  
Juugo covered his mouth and nose and he ran through the cloud of insects.  
The cloud blocked his vision. He missed a branch and crashed down to the forest floor below.

Sasuke turned and saw Juugo following, "They're getting closer."  
Juugo nodded, slowly, "I can believe that…"

Shino stood before the heap of man on the floor.  
"Jeez…" Juugo groaned, sitting up, "What was that?" He looked up and saw Shino.  
"Hmm…"  
Shino's sunglasses were shining.  
"You must be one of the Konoha ninjas." Juugo said, standing, "You sure don't look like Akatsuki."  
"…"  
Juugo looked around, "I advise you step away from this… you don't know what you're dealing with."  
"…"  
Juugo frowned and heard the cries of birds nearby. They were nervous. Panicked.  
There was tension in the air. A fight was coming.

Sakura put her hand on her hip, "Not bad…"  
"You have no idea of what I can do." Karin hissed, "You stupid little girl. You think you can take me down with some punches and kicks? Puh-lease."  
Sakura cracked her knuckles, stretched her arms over her head and cracked her neck, "Oh, I figure you must be powerful." Sakura said, "Sasuke chose you, after all and Sasuke isn't _completely_ stupid. He's close but not quite."  
Karin sneered, "We've talked enough."  
"Agreed." Sakura nodded, "Let's go."

Karin put her hands together and began forming seals.  
Sakura punched her fists together and began running at full speed at Karin.  
"_Chakra Restriction_!" Karin yelled.  
Sakura's hands trembled. Her chakra! She'd been focusing as much as she could into her fists. When she impacted, she would release it all at once – that was the secret to her super strength.  
But now her chakra had suddenly released harmlessly.  
Sakura shook her hands. What was wrong?  
_Restriction_.  
Karin could sense chakras. Was it possible that she could also control them?

Karin grinned, seeing the confusion on Sakura's face.  
There was a reason she'd been placed as a jailer for Orochimaru's South Base.  
No one could use the full extent of their chakra when she didn't want them to.  
And she wasn't restrained as she would have been with other chakra-restricting techniques.  
Karin had heard of them but she thought her own ability was far superior.  
She didn't need to touch anyone. She just had to be close.  
Karin felt pumped. Recognizing and restricting chakra wasn't the only thing she could do.  
"_Chakra Robbery!_"

Naruto waited with Hinata in the hospital. Tsunade sure was taking her sweet time.  
"N-naruto-kun." Hinata said, "You don't have to wait! P-please! You should return to your m-mission! They need you!"  
"I'm not going to leave you here alone, Hinata-chan." Naruto said, annoyed, "I'll go when Old Lady Tsunade gets here."  
"Ehh… I thought I told you to stop calling me that," Tsunade said, "Ok, ok, I'm here, Naruto. Go on, get out of here."  
"You're late."  
"I'm the Hokage, Naruto. I lead a busy life." Tsunade peered at Hinata, "But I'm here now so go away, Naruto."  
Naruto rolled his eyes, "I'll see you when I return, okay, Hinata?"  
"H-hai. Be careful, N-naruto-kun!"

* * *

I know, I know. Another shorty but thinking up and researching jutsus for these folks is hard!  
So I thought up an idea for Karin. We know she can recognize people's chakra signatures or whatever so I figured, she must be able to do things partaining to chakra because she was a jailer for Orochimaru. So I said she can 1) restrict or repress chakra --think Neji, when he hit Naruto's tenketsus to repress his flow of chakra-- except, Karin doesn't have to touch and 2) steal (rob) chakra. Ooh - now THAT would be a useful ability, especially when dealing with Itachi.  
If my guesses are correct, then Karin is definately someone to be careful around.

Also, a bit of backstory for Juugo.  
In the manga, Pein (or Pain!?) calls him Juugo of Tenpin (or Tenbin) which some people say is 'balance'. I don't know if that's what it means, or if its a country or village. So I say Juugo came from a village (not sure if its Tenpin/Tenbin or somewhere else) and was banished when his abilites went out of control and then he heard about and sought out Orochimaru to cure him.  
So, you know the rest of that story.

So, I wanted to explain what happened to Juugo and Sasuke just then.  
Juugo is being bugged by bugs and then he sees two Sasuke's. This is a mass of bugs formed to look like Sasuke (Shino's ability) and then when Juugo is calling out and Sasuke can't hear him and then Juugo can't hear anything but buzzing, this is another bug technique. The bugs are blocking out the hearing senses, so Sasuke doesn't notice the bugs and doesn't notice that he can't hear Juugo's yelling. When Sasuke turns and Juugo is following him, you can assume that this is either another mass of bugs or one of Naruto's Kage Bunshin's, henged to look like Juugo. (Sasuke's Sharingan would be able to tell if there is chakra flow, but since Naruto's Kage's are 'real clones' then that shouldn't be a problem to fool Sasuke - if only for a little while) So Sasuke's been fooled.  
Dun dun duuuuuuuun.

Also, I love the idea that Shino sends his bugs around and knows EVERYTHING that's going on in the village.

Hope you enjoy and please send ideas for attacks, if you have any! SERIOUSLY.

Oh and a great big thanks to all my readers out there. I've gotten nothing but nice reviews and already over a hundred.  
So, I hope I'm doing you guys justice, even though the chapters are being shorty.  
I don't want to disappoint ya'll and thanks again for commenting!

-4ng3legg


	18. Sakura's Secret!

Kakashi ran alongside Sasuke.  
"Do you think Suigetsu and Karin are okay?" He asked, slowly.  
Sasuke nodded, "They can take care of themselves." He looked around, "I thought they would have attacked you already."  
"Yes." Kakashi agreed, "I would have thought so, too."  
Kakashi frowned. He wished Naruto would hurry. He could only fool Sasuke for so long.

Suigetsu dodged a low branch and heard a snap behind him. His sword was leaving a nice little trail for the Konoha nin's to follow.  
But the water was getting closer and that was definitely a good thing.  
"Maybe you should lose the sword!" Two voices called from both sides of him.  
Suigetsu looked left to right and saw two Naruto clones in mid-air, both throwing kunais'.  
"Jeez!" Suigetsu groaned and whirled – managing to block all the kunais with the sword.

"AKAMARU!" Kiba's voice called out, "_Dainamikku Maakingu_!"  
"Wha-OH, JEEZ! MY EYES!" Suigetsu swung the sword wildly, "IT BURNS!"

"Good aim, Akamaru!" The Naruto clones called, "Now it's our turn!"  
Suigetsu, blinded by acrid dog urine, screamed as he felt himself kicked into the air.  
"_U_!" One kick.  
"_ZU_!" Two kicks.  
"_MA_!" Three!  
"_KI_!" FOUR!  
"_NARUTO RENDAN_!" A clone brought his heel down on Suigetsu's face, smashing him down into the ground.

Kiba sat on Akamaru above the cloud of dust that resulted, "I remember _that_ move…"  
Suigetsu groaned. The water was so close. He could _feel_ it.  
But these Konoha nins were stronger than he wanted to admit.

'_Chakra robbery._' Sakura thought as she moved back, away from Karin, '_Jeez… she can recognize, restrict, rob… what else?_'  
"As you can see." Karin said, "I'm good with chakra – all aspects of it. I saw your super-strength technique and I know how you do it."  
'_Don't tell me…_' Sakura thought.  
"I can do it, too."  
Karin grinned and smashed the ground with her fist.  
Sakura jumped into the air to avoid the resulting shockwave.

"Tell me." Sakura said, landing neatly, "Are you also a medical nin?"  
Karin's eyebrows rose and she adjusted her glasses, "No."  
"So you can't do any medical jutsu?"  
"Nothing besides first aid." Karin shrugged, "What does that matter?"  
"I was wondering if Sasuke only chose you because you reminded him of me." Sakura smiled, "But Sasuke doesn't know that I'm a medical nin now."  
"Good for you." Karin replied, sarcastically.

"It is good for me." Sakura's smile widened, "Because I've learned a lot from my _sensei_, Tsunada-sama. Including the use of a forbidden jutsu." She unzipped her shirt, revealing a purple diamond mark at the base of her throat in the suprasternal notch, "_Infuunin_."  
'_Secret Mark Seal?_' Karin thought.  
"I've stored chakra in this seal." Sakura explained, "Chakra that you can't touch. But, I don't use it the same way my sensei does." Sakura said, "She uses it to stimulate her cells but I'm not there yet. I just need to refill my chakra level."

"Infuunin _Kai!_" Sakura called. Karin stared in astonishment as purple marks extended from the diamond shape and made a complicated design over her neck and face. Karin could sense the pink-haired girl being filled with chakra.  
Karin shook her head, "I'll just steal it aga…"  
Sakura didn't give her a chance to finish. She charged forward and smashed her fist into Karin's stomach, "Then I can't let you use your jutsu…"  
Karin's eyes went unfocused and she flew backwards and collided with a boulder.

"Go!" Sakura called.  
Two clones appeared on either side of Karin who lay on the floor, eyes closed. Then she slowly climbed to her feet. The clones ran at her, their fists pulled back.  
"Jeez…" Karin groaned, swaying on her feet. She shook her head and ducked as the two fists aimed at her head.  
She punched out on both sides and the two clones disappeared.  
"You caught me by surprise…" Karin murmured, "It won't happen again."  
"Too late." Sakura said, smiling.

Karin ran forward, channeling her chakra into her fist, "Let's see how you like it!"  
Sakura stood, looking unaffected as Karin charged towards her.  
Karin screamed and thrust her fist into Sakura's face.  
Sakura flew backwards and tumbled briefly before she lay still.  
"Hmph…" Karin said, "Stupid girl – WHAT!?"

The body disappeared in a cloud of dust and Karin realized she could feel Sakura's chakra nearby.  
"How? Where?" Karin looked around her, "WHERE IS SHE!?"  
"_Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu_!"  
Karin screamed when she felt a hand grip her ankle and begin to pull her down into the earth, "No!"  
A moment later, Sakura stood above the angry-faced girl, now buried to her neck.  
"I think that should stop your ability to make hand-seals." Sakura said, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Unbelievable…" Karin grumbled, "I'll get free of this."  
"Keep an eye on her." Sakura told a clone, "I've got to return to the chase."  
"SASUKE WILL HELP ME!" Karin screamed.  
Sakura sneered. She made a series of hand-seals and touched Karin's forehead, "_Battlefield __Anesthesia_."  
Karin's eyes swam and she groaned, "You… you…" Her head dipped and she slipped into unconsciousness.  
"She should be out for a while." Sakura told a clone.

Juugo brushed himself off, "I don't want to hurt you, kid."  
Shino remained silent.  
Juugo felt his control slip a notch.  
After a moment, Shino shook his head, "You won't."  
Juugo felt a familiar urge, '_I'd better take him down before I lose all control._'  
He ran towards the silent teen, "I'll try not to, anyway."  
Shino moved backwards and thrust his hands out, "No. You won't _at all_."

Juugo moved as if to punch Shino but at the last moment, feinted and kicked him in the side.  
Shino flew to the right and Juugo threw two kunai at him. They stabbed, landing one in Shino's chest and the other in his leg.  
Shino toppled to the ground and lay there.  
"Hmm…" Juugo frowned, "That was too quick."  
Shino dissolved into a mass of bugs.  
"What?"

"But thanks for making this easier for me." Shino said from behind.  
Juugo swiveled around and saw him, "Another one of your bug clones."  
Shino didn't reply.  
Juugo hands shook, "You… you…" He suddenly felt an itch on his hands.  
He looked down. His hands were covered in bugs.

"Uhhh…" Juugo shuddered, "What… what is this?" He shook his hands and felt an itch on his face.  
It was all over. They were all over!  
Juugo coughed, suddenly. They were in his throat!  
"N-no…" Juugo thrashed, "Get them offa me! GET THEM _-hack-_ OFF OF ME!"

'_So Aburame Shino is here, too. That explains Hinata. Then Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru is probably with them which is how they were able to track us._' Sasuke's mind raced.  
The Konoha nins were definitely making this more difficult that he'd prefer.  
"Go back." Sasuke called to Juugo, "Retrieve Suigetsu and Karin. Only knock out the ninjas. Don't kill them."  
"What?" Juugo asked, clearly taken aback.  
Sasuke looked back at him, "I said _go back_."  
"You said to leave them earlier." Juugo said, "Why retrieve them now?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Because I still need them." He turned in mid-air and threw several kunai's at Juugo.  
Juugo dodged and stared at Sasuke, "What are you doing?"  
"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, stopping, "No… not Naruto."  
Juugo's eyebrows rose and he frowned, "I should have kept my mouth shut."  
"I didn't even notice you replacing him. I got careless…" Sasuke murmured, "Kakashi."  
Sasuke gripped the handle of his sword, "But I suppose this'll give me a chance to show you some new Chidori moves…"  
Kakashi released the jutsu and pulled his headband from over his eye.

"_Chidori Nagashi!_"  
Kakashi's eyes widened and he jumped back, '_Not enough time!_' Kakashi thought, '_I can't get far enough! If he hits me with that, I might get knocked out!_'

"_Ninpou: Choujuu Giga!_"  
Kakashi was lifted into the air, just out of reach of the Chidori.  
Sasuke looked up, frowning.  
An ink bird was holding Kakashi in the air. A boy sat upon the bird.

"Sai-kun." Kakashi said, "Just in time."  
"Hai, Kakashi-sempai." Sai said, "I've experienced that Chidori jutsu myself. I thought you could use some help."  
The bird lowered and Kakashi jumped down onto a branch, "Not bad, Sasuke. It's definitely an interesting jutsu."  
Sasuke stared at his teacher.

"It's definitely something I could get used to using." Kakashi winked with his left eye.  
Sai jumped down to stand beside Kakashi and the ink bird dissolved.  
"When Naruto returns," Sai told Kakashi, "I'll take my leave if desired."  
"Hm…" Kakashi murmured, "But until then, I could definitely use your help, Sai-kun."

'_Close enough_.' Suigetsu thought, '_There is definitely more water in the air here… this might be just what I need._'  
He managed to lift his head from the impression in the ground, "Not… bad…"  
The clones stood by, holding his sword.  
"I didn't say… you could… touch that…" Suigetsu grimaced.  
"You should be mashed." Kiba said, "How'd you manage from getting knocked out?"  
"Water… soluble body…" Suigetsu answered, "I can't transform completely but I can, at least, soften my own body to handle the blows…"

"Not bad." Naruto said.  
Suigetsu looked up and saw him in the trees, "Another… clone?"  
"The real deal." Naruto said, "You've definitely got some interesting abilities."  
"Thanks…" Suigetsu stood unsteadily, "So do you…" He rubbed his eyes. They still burned but his own body was managing to wash out his eyes.  
"I can take it from here." Kiba said to Naruto, "Kakashi-sensei needs you."

"Hmm…" Naruto said, "Well, I'll just keep an eye on this…" The clones holding the Suigetsu's sword jumped into the air and vanished within the branches. Three others took their place.  
"Is Hinata okay?"  
Naruto nodded, "Old Lady Tsunade is taking care of her."  
"Good." Kiba nodded.  
Akamaru barked.

Naruto looked down at Suigetsu and then disappeared.  
Suigetsu frowned. They took his sword.  
He could fight without it but that was certainly annoying.  
"Akamaru!" Kiba called, tossing the dog a small soldier pill, "_Juujin Bunshin!_"  
The dog caught the pill, ate it and barked.  
A cloud of smoke appeared and lifted. There stood two boys and no dog.  
"_GATSUUGA!_" Kiba cried.

Suigetsu groaned. He had a feeling that this was going to get worse before it got better.

* * *

Slightly longer-no-jutsu! 

Ahh! Sorry! Supah Nario Bros joke there...

Explanations!

Sooo! I said that the Juugo following Sasuke was probably a henged Naruto clone but I was WRONG!  
It was Kakashi!  
Oh, that Kakashi. He even fooled me! And I'm writing the story!

Karin is good with chakra. She can use Sakura's strengthening jutsu because she can also concentrate her chakra with precision.  
Oh my! What else can that girl do!? (Hint: _Relocation_)

I made up 'Battlefield Anesthesia' but that would be a good jutsu if you have to perform MacGuyver surgery out during battle, wouldn't it?  
Of course, it'd knock out the recipient for a while (depending on the amount of chakra used.)

Juugo is filled with bugs! Yuk. I'd freak out too.  
Oh, that Shino! Just what does he plan to do...?? (I have no clue. I'm making this up as I go.)

Sasuke finally figured out Kakashi's ploy because Kakashi questioned Sasuke when Juugo never would have.

Here are some thoughts i have about Sasuke:  
He obviously needs a group to help him kill Itachi, he's admitted that. But why choose other nins instead of asking his own friends? Sakura has said that she would help him however she could. Naruto probably would, too.  
I think Sasuke doesn't want to get his friends hurt in a situation with Itachi. I admit, I'm giving Sasuke a lot of credit here, but think about it.  
Sasuke knows Naruto is powerful. Kakashi, too. He could have utalized his friends abilites to help him defeat Itachi - he doesn't seem to have a problem acknowledging that he needs help defeating Itachi. He says so to Hebi.  
So what's the deal?  
Could Sasuke still care?  
Besides... what does he plan to do when he finally kills Itachi? He wants to revive his clan. How does he do that? Well, we've got Karin, of course but one lady does not a clan make. Hahahah.  
He's gotta go back to Sakura, sooner or later.  
Actually, I think Sasuke would have his eye on Hinata - if only because she is a Main Family member of a strong clan. Good ties and all that shit.  
But that's what I think.

Oh and SAI! Admit it, you forgot about him. I know because I forgot about him, too! I was writing this out and going, "Okay, so-and-so is fighting so-and-so... and... SAI! WHERE IS SAI!?"  
Hahahaha. Kakashi forgot about him too but he won't ever admit it.

one last thing: 2000 points to whoever can tell me what the suprasternal notch is. It should be easy. I described where it is.

-4ng3legg


	19. A Surprise For Sai!

Naruto sprang through the trees, searching for Kakashi and Sasuke.  
As he ran, he saw Shino standing by as Juugo thrashed around, covered in bugs. Shino looked up and saw Naruto, "Hinata?"  
"Good."  
Shino nodded and turned his gaze back to the screaming man.  
"What… what are they doing?" Naruto asked before he could stop himself.  
"They're eating his chakra." Shino answered, watching the swarming bugs.  
Naruto shuddered and moved on.

Karin was nearby, buried to her neck in the earth. She was struggling and cursing loudly.  
One of his clones was standing near her. He looked up at the original when he passed.  
Sakura was running up ahead.  
"Ah! Sakura-chan!" Naruto called.  
She turned, "Eh? Hey – how is Hinata-chan?"  
"Good. The Old Lady is taking care of her. Hey – did you do that to that Karin girl?"  
Sakura grinned.

"Wow – you've definitely gotten much stronger, Sakura-chan." Naruto said appreciatively, "But is it a good idea to leave her there with just a couple of my clones standing guard?"  
"What's the matter? You don't trust yourself?"  
Naruto grinned, "I'm using a lot of chakra… hey, I'll be the first to admit it – I've got incredible stamina and a lot of chakra but I'm not inexhaustible."

'_Naruto would have unlimited chakra,_' Sakura thought, '_If he harnessed the power of the Kyuubi… but… then he would be an unstoppable killing machine._'  
Sakura rubbed her arm, thinking back to the first mission with Sai and Yamato, when Naruto had transformed into a four-tailed miniature Kyuubi. When she tried to stop him, he'd attacked her and would have killed her if Yamato hadn't intervened.  
"Then I'll go back and watch over her, okay?" Sakura said, stopping, "You go on ahead and help Kakashi-sensei."  
Naruto nodded, "Thanks, Sakura-chan."  
"Eh?"  
"For understanding." He grinned and sped off.  
Sakura watched him as he disappeared into the distance. Blushing, she turned and made her way back to where Karin was.

Shino rarely felt scared or nervous.  
It wasn't that he _couldn't_ feel the emotions but that he knew he was powerful and so it was unnecessary for him to feel like that.  
Shino studied a situation carefully for however long he needed to find the best way to attack an opponent. He was never considered a mental genius, like Shikamaru or Sakura or a talent genius like Neji or Sasuke but only because Shino chose not to exhibit his talents.

He never worked as hard as he knew he could in school, not because of laziness but because he deemed it unnecessary.  
Shino knew that when he was in battle, grades and admiration would be useless. It was in battle that Shino would show his true genius.  
There was something to be said for confidence so strong that it denied any fear of losing.

Shino carefully observed Juugo as all his control slipped away.  
Juugo screamed, his voice muffled by the bugs in his throat and Shino watched him transform into a monster.  
Any other ninja might have felt a sliver of fear.  
Shino felt like he finally found a worthy challenge.

High above, Yamato watched the scene with interest.  
Aburame Shino's file had been passed into ANBU and Yamato had been pleased when Kakashi brought in Team Kurenai to work with Team Kakashi.  
Yamato relished the chance to see the potential of the near-silent shinobi while in battle...  
If all went well, Yamato would suggest Shino become a Jounin and inducted into the ANBU organization at the end of the mission.

Juugo's arms transformed into huge flesh scythes.  
"I'M GONNA RIP YOU APART!" Juugo screamed, his voice muffled by the bugs in his throat.  
He swung his arms but Shino dodged them with ease.  
Shino frowned. Juugo was faster than he'd thought.

Shino had talked to Sakura about the cursed seal – she'd been researching the subject obsessively when she began her medical-nin studies.  
Shino knew the seal could upgrade from partial transformation to full transformation – or Level 2 but that would put a strain on the body that could ultimately cause death.  
But this man didn't seem to feel a strain. The bugs translated that to Shino. His chakra was strong. There was no weakening when Juugo partially transformed.  
Juugo clawed at his face, trying to pull the bugs off. He saw Shino moving away from him and he ran at him, swinging his arms wildly.

Shino dodged but was slapped by a flailing hand.  
He stumbled backwards and blinked at the sudden brightness he saw. The lenses of his goggles had been broken.  
Juugo stood there, staring at him with revulsion on his face.  
Shino pulled down his hood and pulled his broken goggles off his face.  
He looked at Juugo, his eyes uncovered.

Juugo shuddered and his body transformed into its normal appearance, "What… what _are_ you?"  
Shino stood quietly, knowing why Juugo looked so disgusted.  
Shino's eyes were swarming with bugs.

"Sai!" Naruto called, seeing the pale boy up ahead.  
Sai turned and looked at him, "You're back!" Sweat beaded Sai's brow and he was panting, "Good thing, too."  
"Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine." Sai grinned, "Just a little winded. I had no idea Sasuke-kun was so fast…"  
Naruto saw, indeed, Sasuke and Kakashi were mere blurs in the branches of the trees.  
"I managed to keep up until Sasuke got me with another Chidori Nagashi…"  
"Good job." Naruto said, patting him on the shoulder, "I'll help Kakashi. You go help Kiba, okay?"  
"Kiba…?"

"Yea, he's fighting Suigetsu. Can you capture him? He can turn into liquid."  
"What did you say?" Sai turned even paler than before.  
"He can turn himself into water." Naruto repeated, "Can you…?"  
"Hai, Naruto! I… I'll go, of course. G-good luck with Sasuke-kun."  
"Thanks…" Naruto called as Sai sped away.

Sai pulled out a scroll of paper and unfurled it as he pulled out his ink and brush. He scribbled with an unnatural speed and called, "_Ninpou: Choujuu Giga!_"  
A bird flew from the scroll and flapped its great ink wings. Sai jumped onto its back and flew into the sky, above the trees.  
Finally, he saw them!  
Kiba and Akamaru, along with a couple Naruto clones were surrounding the white-haired male.  
Sai felt his heart leap.  
His hands trembled and his mouth went dry.

"Akamaru!" Kiba called, "_Inuzuka Ryuu Chinjuu-"  
_"WAIT!" Sai screamed.  
Kiba looked up, his hands in the air; ready to form the needed hand seals.  
Suigetsu looked up and saw the boy in the air.

The ink bird flew to the ground and Sai jumped off onto the floor.  
Sai and Suigetsu stood still, staring at each other.  
"Sai-kun? What… what's wrong?" Kiba asked.  
Sai ignored him and moved a few steps towards Suigetsu, "B-brother…?"

* * *

Oh... were... were you expecting THAT!?  
Because I wasn't! 

Wa-hey!  
I was looking through some Naruto forums, looking for ideas when I stumbled upon someone's suggestion that Suigetsu looked a lot like Sai's "brother".  
I was like, "... IDEA!"  
Hahahah

EDIT: So i've already had a question from RasenganFin about the fitting of Suigetsu possibly being Sai's "brother"

the question: '_I GUESS that would fit but how would that go with the fact that Suigetsu was trained by the 7 swordsman of the Mist and the second coming of Zabuza? Sai doesn't look THAT old._'

and here's how i tried to explain it:

'_well, i figure i can go one of two ways with this: _

_1) suigetsu IS NOT sai's "brother"; but he does look like him, perhaps leading to a discovery that suigetsu is blood-related to the guy who was sai's "brother" or something of that nature._

_2) suigetsu IS sai's "brother" - this would be the harder of the two to explain. sai knows his "brother" is dead (but we don't.) sai doesn't look that old but neither does suigetsu. _

_anbu root says that it takes in 'orphans' and trains them but it doesn't say from where - are they all konoha orphans? is it possible that they take in orphans from other countries? that would explain suigetsu coming in. now, this is my train of thought, he was there (anbu root) at a younger age and then he left or escaped or was even kicked out (maybe due to being kind of a psycopath) and began training under the 7mistswordsmen. _

_I've never read the manga from the very very beginning, so i don't know if what they say about zabuza in there is different from what they say in the anime. so i have to go by what the anime says and I haven't seen the anime say when zabuza left. so all of that is a little confusing (which, if you have the facts, please send them to me.) _

_Also, we don't know at what age Sai was when his "brother" died. He could have been much younger than the guy he called his brother. So... i'm not sure that made a whole lot of sense.  
hahaha, but we'll see, huh? _

_I'll try and make it make as much sense in the story, as possible. if you have any ideas, please, please, please send them to me. I'm not getting a whole lot of inspiration for the part of the story and i need all the help i can get._'

So that goes for all of you. Seriously. Send. Ideas. Do so... _now_!

Added note: Suigetsu kind of reminds me of Naruto - the way he talks, and how he's kind of blunt and a joker.  
Sai has stated that Naruto reminds him of his "brother". And when you look at the two - they look really similar.

Anyway, sorry this took so long and it's so short but its been hard for me to get inspiration for this part of the story.  
I'm bad at fight scenes but I did enjoy the chance to talk about Shino.  
I think that's what's behind his sunglasses.  
Wouldn't that be awesome!?  
Plus, I really do think Shino is a genius. He's so cool and quiet - I'm sure he's hiding a lot behind those sunglasses.

So I hope you enjoyed!  
-4ng3legg


	20. Capturing Hebi!

Suigetsu stared at the dark-haired shinobi, approaching him with his hand extended.  
He tilted his head slightly, a confused expression on his face, "Am I supposed to know you?"  
Sai frowned. He was confused. The one called Suigetsu _looked_ like the boy he called his brother.  
But Brother had died. _Hadn't he?_

Sai screwed him up face, trying to understand the situation, "It's me, Brother. We spent so much time together… when we were younger."  
Suigetsu's face clouded, "I don't know what you're talking about…" He bared his sharp teeth, "And I don't care."  
He lunged at Sai, his sword held high.  
"SAI! MOVE!" Kiba called.

Sai unfurled a scroll and pulled out a bottle of ink. He crushed it and smeared the ink on the paper. Using his finger, he scribbled some crude-looking kanjis in the still wet ink.  
"Ninpou!" Sai called, "Coercion of Ink! Art of Entrapment!"  
A wave of ink exploded from the page and swallowed up everything in its path – including Suigetsu.  
"What is thi-" Suigetsu screamed before his voice was muffled from the ink.  
Sai pulled the paper and it curled closed, leaving nothing behind.

"What… did you do…?" Kiba asked, looking around.  
All the ink that had come from the paper was gone, taking Suigetsu with it.  
"I've trapped him." Sai said simply, holding up the closed scroll.  
"Where…? How?"  
"In the ink." Sai said, "He won't be able to escape until the scroll is destroyed."

"But… _how_?"  
"It was a forced _henge_." Sai explain patiently, "When the ink touched him, it forced him to become as the ink. When the scroll was closed, it pulled into it the ink and him. I can do it… to anyone."  
Sai smiled and Kiba felt a chill run down his spine, "So… you got him?"  
"Yes. He will be safe until we return to Konoha. Then he will released to the interrogation squad."  
"Sai-kun," Kiba said slowly, "You called him 'brother'… what… what was that?"

Sai's brows knit together, "He looks like my brother, Kiba-kun."  
"Is he?"  
"I do not know." Sai replied honestly, "I believed my brother dead. And Suigetsu claims to have no knowledge of me. But the features are similar and Naruto mentioned that Suigetsu can turn his body into water."  
"Was your brother able to do that?"

Sai smiled, "No – but he was obsessed with water. He rather enjoyed swimming. Earlier it was mentioned that Orochimaru experimented on the people Sasuke-kun chose to accompany him. It would not surprise me if Suigetsu was experimented on concerning water."  
"How… how can you not know if he is your brother?" Kiba asked, "Doesn't the name ring a bell?"  
"Name?" Sai repeated, "No – I didn't know my brothers given name. He wasn't my biological brother, after all. Just another orphan I knew…" He frowned, "My brother was much older than me and a loud-mouth – not unlike Naruto."  
Kiba grinned.

"Their penises were both small."  
Kiba's grin flew off his face, "_WHAT THE FU-!?_"  
"But he was kind to me." Sai continued, ignoring Kiba, "And I considered him as my brother. When he died, I was…" Sai frowned, trying to find the right word for his lack of emotion during his brother's death, "I was confused. I wasn't allowed to see the body…" Sai trailed off.  
"So… what do you think happened?" Kiba asked, trying not to think about Sai mentioning _anyone's_ genitalia.

"Well… my brother was nice to me but he did seem to have a problem with everyone else. He constantly got into fights and even disfigured another boy during a confrontation. Perhaps he was considered dangerous and disposed of." Sai shrugged, "I'm sure I don't know. I suppose we'll have to wait until Suigetsu is delivered to the interrogation squad."  
"But what do you think, Sai-kun? Is he your brother?"  
Sai examined the scroll and then placed it gently into his pouch, "It's a possibility." He said slowly, "However unlikely it seems."

Shino dropped the broken goggles to the floor and pulled out a new pair from his bag.  
"Jeez…" Juugo murmured, "That's the nastiest thing I've ever seen."  
"I'm sure that's not true." Shino said, pulling on the goggles, "Your cursed seal is a testament to that. I have already seen the monster underneath."  
Juugo frowned. His murderous intent just wasn't there, "I don't want to fight you, Konoha shinobi. I never did."

"Then why do you accompany Sasuke-kun?" Yamato asked, jumping down from the trees.  
Yamato glanced sideways at Shino, '_And people think my eyes are creepy!_'  
"Sasuke-kun…" Juugo repeated, "He is a strong shinobi. He is able to repress my rage…" Juugo frowned. Sasuke was no where near, no doubt and all of Juugo's rage was gone. What happened?  
Juugo's eyes rested on the silent shinobi. With his goggles on, Juugo could no longer see his eyes and the bugs that swarmed over them.  
'_It's him_.' Juugo realized, '_He suppressed my murderous intent!_'

"Merely for that?" Yamato asked incredulously, "You were an experiment of Orochimaru's, were you not?"  
"I was a willing volunteer." Juugo answered, "In the beginning – when Orochimaru promised me a cure."  
"A cure?" Shino asked.  
Juugo nodded, slowly, "It started with hurting things. Small animals… _myself_. Then I began hurting people until I killed one. Then… I couldn't stop killing them. I wanted to." Juugo's hands shook, "I _prayed_ to stop the rampages. I didn't want to hurt _anyone_… but then the rage would return and I would desperately seek out a release for my desire to kill. I just… wanted to stop…"

Yamato frowned, "You're calm, now. Why?"  
"Him." Juugo said, gesturing to Shino, "There's something about those _eyes…_"  
Shino's eyebrow arched, "Hmm…" He reached up and pulled his goggles from his eyes.  
"No!" Juugo cried, stepping backwards.  
But Shino's eyes were normal. Clear – with brown irises.  
Even Yamato was shocked.

"How?" Juugo asked, "I… I just saw your eyes. There were so many bugs!"  
"I know." Shino said, pulling his goggles back on, "When I use the bugs to fight, they are still within my body. They are blind beneath my skin and so they move to my eyes – in order to see. When I am not using them to fight, they have no need to see. So it is not necessary for them to be in my eyes."  
Yamato suppressed a shudder and shook his head. It was the first time he'd heard Shino say more than a few words at a time.  
"The bugs…" Juugo repeated slowly, "Are still in your body…?"  
"They live in me." Shino said.  
Juugo's made a face, "Bugs… live _inside_ you. Gross."

"Return with us." Yamato said suddenly, "Accompany us back to Konoha."  
"To become your prisoner?" Juugo asked, "I think not…"  
"Our Hokage is a widely renowned medical-nin. Perhaps she can find a way to cure you of your murderous urges. One of the families in Konoha specializes in ninjutsu concerning the mind. Perhaps they could also help."  
Juugo stared at the man, "You're offering… to help me…?"  
"You've already stated that you have no desire to fight. We have no desire to fight you, either. Our mission is to capture Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Sasuke… or both, if possible. Of course, if you accompany us, it will be necessary for you to give us something in return."  
"Like what?"  
"Information." Yamato said, "Help us capture Uchiha Sasuke and your other teammates and we can try to find you a cure."

Sakura returned to find Karin, wide awake.  
"You should be unconscious." Sakura said, her hands on her hips, "How'd you wake up?"  
"She's been like that since you left." The clone said, "She woke right up and started cursing a blue streak. She's got a dirtier mouth than Sai."  
Sakura grinned.  
"You bitch." Karin hissed, "Your stupid little jutsu has no effect on me because you touched me. Even without performing the hand seals, I can steal chakra or disable chakra-using techniques with skin-to-skin contact."

"Then I guess I'll have to kick you in the face until you're knocked out!" Sakura spat, "How about you try stealing the chakra from the sole of my shoe, slut!"  
The Naruto clone stepped a few paces back, "Maybe you should calm down, Sakura…?"  
"Jeez! What a way to talk." A voice said from behind them.  
Yamato walked towards them, Juugo and Shino behind him.  
"Don't worry." Yamato said, "He's okay."

"Juugo!" Karin called, "Help me… wait, what the hell, man? Why aren't you fighting them?"  
Juugo ignored her, "It doesn't seem like you need my help for her." He said to Yamato, "She's seems to be locked up pretty tight."  
"Do you know what other techniques she might be hiding?" Yamato asked.  
"No – Karin never really showed us any of her techniques beside her ability to recognize chakra signatures."  
"YOU'RE HELPING THEM!?" Karin screamed.

Juugo looked at her impassively, "But she did seem to have a strong affection for Sasuke."  
"What?" Sakura asked, "What do you mean?"  
"She was always near him. And she even carried around his dirty clothes."  
"Sonofabi-"  
"The way she acted towards him… Suigetsu accused her once of 'doing something' to Sasuke. I assumed he meant she and Sasuke had relations of some sort." Juugo shrugged, "I didn't care to ask further."  
It took Yamato, Shino and the Naruto clone to take Sakura down before she could reach Karin.

"SASUKE!" Naruto roared.  
Kakashi landed next to Naruto on the branch he was standing on, "You're back…" Kakashi murmured, panting slightly.  
Sasuke stood high above them, "Where'd you go, Naruto?"  
"I took Hinata to the hospital." Naruto said, "But don't worry. I haven't missed a thing. My clones did a good job of keeping an eye on things."  
"Hmph…"  
"Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo have all been captured." Naruto said to Kakashi, "Pardon me. Juugo has not been captured."  
Sasuke allowed a small smile to immerge onto his face.

"Juugo has switched sides. He's working with Yamato-taichou." Naruto finished.  
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.  
"In case you're wondering." Naruto said softly, "Sakura defeated Karin – _with ease_, using your Shinjuu Zanshu, Kakashi-sensei."  
Kakashi smiled behind his mask, "Good girl."

"Sai captured Suigetsu using one of his techniques." Naruto continued, "And Shino calmed Juugo down."  
"So you've all gotten stronger." Sasuke said, "I'm not surprised, Naruto. It's only inevitable that you all should have gotten stronger as you got older."  
"Your disbelief is written all over your face." Naruto said, "You're disgusted that the so-called strong shinobi you hand-picked have all been defeated by the ninjas you always believed weaker than you. Regretting your betrayal to Konoha now, Sasuke?"  
Sasuke stared down at the blond, "Tch – are you calling it betrayal now, Naruto? Haven't you been chasing me in the hopes that I would return to Konoha so I could be your best friend again?"

"Oh, I haven't given up on you completely." Naruto said, "But a betrayal is a betrayal, Sasuke and calling it otherwise wouldn't make it any different."  
"So you've grown mentally, too, Naruto. That _is_ a surprise."  
"I've got a lot of surprises, Sasuke." Naruto said, "And I'm dying to show them to you."

* * *

Yay! This wasn't that hard to write! Yay! So, sorry about all the chatting. No one is fighting and everyone is talking.

And I haven't given you a clear answer as to whether or not Suigetsu is Sai's "brother", because apparently Sai doesn't even know.

Am I going to give you a clear answer? I don't know.

Tell me how you'd like the story to turn. Everyone seems to have been captured, but will they stay that way?

Ideas are always a help.  
Reviews are always cherished.

Note: People seem to dislike Tsunade for what I made her do to Jiraiya in the Intermission piece! Oh boy, that wasn't my intention!  
Mayhaps I should explain?

Tsunade did seem uncaring but I always figured that she DID care, she just didn't want to become so close to Jiraiya for fear of losing another loved one.  
In the manga, she tells Jiraiya to return home alive.  
Jiraiya jokes that maybe she'll cry for him if he dies and then jokes that if she bets that he'll die then he'll definately come back alive due to her tendancy to always choose the losing bet.

Hmm... maybe I should write a sequal to the Intermission piece from Tsunade's POV?

-4ng3legg


	21. A Daring Escape! Sasuke Is Surprised!

Sasuke rolled his eyes.  
"Be careful." Kakashi murmured to Naruto, "You can't use your _Rasen Shuriken_."  
"I know that." Naruto snapped, "I don't want to destroy him, Kakashi-sensei. Jeez. But we've got to find a way to immobilize him."  
Kakashi nodded, "He's fast."  
"Are you just going to stand there whispering, Naruto? Kakashi? Or are you going to show me these _surprises_…?" Sasuke gripped his sword in his hand.

"So wait a second." Kiba said, walking alongside Sai, "If you can do that ink-capturing thing with _anyone_, how come you didn't do it to Sasuke? It'd make things a lot easier."  
"I tried." Sai said, "But he's too fast. He was able to outrun the wave of ink. Besides, I very nearly captured Kakashi-sempai on accident. It really only works when the target comes at me at a straight line – like Suigetsu was doing. And if there is no one else to complicate the situation. Someone would have to immobilize Sasuke long enough for me to take him out." Sai explained, "I hear voices up ahead."  
"So if someone is caught are they able to escape?"  
"Not until I destroy the scroll." Sai said.

Kiba, Akamaru and Sai walked into a clearing where everyone else seemed to have gathered.  
"HEY!" Kiba yelled, pointing at Juugo, "You're one of _them_!"  
Akamaru growled, his muscles tense.  
Juugo's left eyebrow rose, "And you're one of… them?"

"Calm down." Shino said to Kiba, "He is going to help us."  
"Ehh!?" Kiba exclaimed, "He… he's rebelled from Sasuke-kun?"  
"Yes." Shino said.  
Juugo regarded the dog-like boy and the way Shino seemed to be able to calm anyone down.  
Perhaps they weren't so much calm as they were nervous to displease him.  
Juugo thought that was probably it. There was something about bugs that made everyone a little squeamish.

"Oh. Good." Sai said, gesturing to Sakura, "Is this Karin?"  
"Hey, fu-" Karin started.  
"It's her!" Sakura said, still being held back from Karin, "And once Yamato lets me go, I'm gonna crush her skull into her brain!"  
"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!" Karin taunted.  
"BITCH!"  
"Ah. I was right, Sakura." Sai said with a smile, "She's uglier than you."  
"SHUT UP, SAI!" Sakura snapped.  
"_WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?_" Karin screamed.

"Maybe you should just capture her, Sai… before Sakura-chan manages to escape Yamato." Kiba suggested.  
"Please do so, _fast_." Yamato called, as Sakura poked him in the eye in her struggle to escape.  
"Of course, Yamato-taichou!" Sai pulled out a fresh scroll from his pouch. In his haste, the scroll containing Suigetsu fell out and dropped to the ground.  
"You dropped this." Juugo said, reaching out to pick up the fallen scroll.  
"DON'T TOUCH IT!" Sai cried.

The scroll was wriggling and bouncing on the ground.  
"What's with it?" Kiba asked, "Sai-kun!?"  
"I don't know." Sai reached for it, "He shouldn't be able to move!"  
"He…?" Juugo repeated, "Is someone… in there?"

The scroll wriggled harder. Suddenly, there was an explosion and the scroll was destroyed in a splash of ink.  
Suigetsu stood there, breathing hard – his skin and hair were as black as the ink.

"Where… is… my… sword…?" Suigetsu muttered, his eyes moving around as he examined the situation.  
"How!?" Sai exclaimed, "How did you escape!?"  
Suigetsu coughed and ink splattered the ground, "It was a good plan…" he admitted, "But you used it against the wrong guy. If you had used it on Juugo there or even Karin, it would have worked and they'd have never been able to escape."  
Suigetsu looked at Juugo, "Why aren't you fighting?"  
"He switched sides!" Karin growled, "He's with _them_ now!"

"What?" Suigetsu stared at Juugo, "Really?"  
Juugo stared at his once-comrade, regarding him silently.  
"Huh – I figured you'd be the most likely to desert us." Suigetsu shrugged, "Karin's batty about Sasuke and I need him too much to help me find Hoshigaki Kisame. You just seemed to come along for the ride." Suigetsu laughed, "Oh well."  
"You stupid moron!" Karin shrieked, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"  
"Eh? Oh yea, Karin, calling me names is the way to get me to help you." Suigetsu snorted.

"Tell me how you escaped!" Sai demanded.  
"Huh? Oh – well, duh. I can turn my body into liquid – only water, really but you stuck me in nothing but ink so my body absorbed the ink. You only really served to make me stronger." He coughed, "The ink tastes _nasty_, though."  
"That can't be good for your body." Kiba noted, "Practically being made of ink…?"  
"Agreed." Suigetsu said, "So I need to get out of here and into a body of water soon!"

"You're not going anywhere." Yamato said, releasing Sakura.  
"Yea!" Kiba said, "We'll find a way to capture you!"  
Akamaru barked.  
"You dumb fuck," Karin yelled, "Help me!"  
Suigetsu rolled his inky eyes, "I don't think Sasuke would be pleased if I returned without you, Karin. So I guess I have to." He turned to Juugo, "You stayin' with them?"  
"Yes."  
Suigetsu shrugged, "Whatever." He turned suddenly and saw Sakura running to meet him.

Sakura slammed her fist into his face, only to pull it back to find it covered in ink.  
Suigetsu sighed, his head now a dripping mass of ink.  
His head reconstructed itself, "Well, _that_ won't work, sweetheart." He grinned at Sakura and jammed his fist into her stomach.  
Sakura grunted and collapsed to the ground.  
Suigetsu's arm was now heavily muscled – a distortion compared to the rest of his thin body.

"Sakura!" Yamato called. He performed a series of hand seals, "_Moku Shouheki no Jutsu!_"  
Several beams exploded from the ground and converged together over Suigetsu.  
"Whoops!" Suigetsu jumped up just as the beams slammed shut.  
"Jeez." Suigetsu groaned, from atop the wood barrier, "You almost got me."

His foot was caught in barrier.  
Suigetsu's leg melted and reconstructed itself, whole, outside of the barrier.  
"Come on, Karin." Suigetsu said, "I'm not strong enough to fight them all…" He jumped down beside her and began melting his hands into the earth. His ink-water body soaked the earth around so that it grew softer.  
"Watch it, moron – you're gonna get all that ink crap all over me!" Karin barked.

"Karin," Suigetsu said, pulling out his thin knife and bringing the razor-sharp blade close to Karin's neck, "If you say one more stupid thing or call me one more name, I'm gonna slice off your head and tell Sasuke that they killed you before I could rescue you."  
Karin swallowed hard and felt the very edge of the blade against her skin, "S-sorry… Suigetsu…"

"_AKAMARU!_" Kiba called, "_Inuzuka Ryuu Chinjuu Konbi Henge: Soutou Rou_!"  
"Uh oh." Suigetsu said as he dug around Karin, "_That_ doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun."  
"Then work faster, you… uh…"  
Suigetsu glared at her and Karin coughed, "You… comrade… of mine…" She grunted and pulled her arm out from the earth.

She was struggling to pull herself out when Suigetsu stopped and suddenly jumped away.  
"What…?"  
Karin looked up to see a huge two-headed wolf with drool dribbling out of its mouth, "_GAROUGA_!"  
The wolf began to spin and Karin screamed.  
The spin passed over her and aimed towards Suigetsu.  
Suigetsu sighed wearily as the spinning wolf connected.

"Where do you think you're going?" Karin heard from above her.  
Sakura stood there, her hands clenched into fists, "I told you to _stay down_."  
A wave of black ink snaked from the impacted area where Kiba and Akamaru hit.  
It flew towards Karin and enveloped her as Sakura brought her fist down.  
Sakura roared in frustration as her fist landed into nothing but earth.  
Suigetsu and Karin were gone!

Naruto released the Kage Bunshin Jutsu and fell to his knees as he felt the sudden rush of all the mental stress his clones had acquired.  
Kakashi caught him before he hit the ground.  
"So his surprise is to… collapse?" Sasuke asked.  
"Still awake…" Naruto muttered, pushing himself up onto his feet. He looked up at Sasuke, "Don't worry about me, Sasuke. I'm not out yet."  
"Tch."

Naruto pulled a scroll from his pouch and unfurled it. A moment later there was a cloud of smoke and a giant shuriken whirling lazily in the air.  
Naruto caught it and spun it faster.  
"A giant shuriken, Naruto? You think that'll help you?"  
"Not just any shuriken." Naruto said. The spinning shuriken began emitting a faint glow of chakra.

"That seems familiar. _Hien_?" Kakashi mused, "Is that what Asuma talked to you about?"  
Naruto grinned and drew his arm back, "I added a little something extra, too…"  
He flung the giant shuriken towards Sasuke.  
Sasuke rolled his eyes again and dodged it with ease. Naruto grinned. A sound like a small whirling tornado behind him, caused Sasuke to turn.

The giant shuriken split into three different shurikens! The three whirled around and Naruto called out, "NOW!"  
The three different shuriken split again, resulting in six giant shuriken.  
The three new shurikens popped and Sasuke found himself facing three Naruto clones, each holding a giant whirling shuriken glowing with chakra.  
They flung the shurikens at him.

Sasuke cursed under his breath at his allowing himself to be fooled so easily and dodged two of the shuriken. The third flew past his face but the blade didn't connect.  
Sasuke sighed in relief until he realized he was bleeding.  
'_Chakra_,' Sasuke realized slowly, '_He cut me with his chakra..._'

The shurikens disappeared, being replaced with Naruto clones.  
"Bunshin Kaiten Kakatou Otoshi!"  
Sasuke, caught by surprise, was only able to move a modicum. Only the real Naruto managed to land a hit and his heel smashed down onto Sasuke's left shoulder.  
Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out as he crashed down to the floor of the forest.  
A moment later, he stood up to see Kakashi and Naruto.  
"Hmm…" Sasuke said, dusting off his clothes, "Not bad."

* * *

Go get him, Naruto! Yay!

So - explain some stuff time!

OK - Suigetsu managed to escape. Wa-hey!? Yea, I know a lot of you liked Sai's capture jutsu (and to be honest, I did too, it's COOL.)  
and Suigetsu admits that if Sai had used it against anyone else, it would have worked and that person would still be captured.  
Another reviewer mentioned that perhaps I was using Suigetsu's ability to turn into liquid against him but in fact, it's that ability that enabled him to escape.  
I think I explained that in the story so I won't go into it here.

I'm amused to think that Suigetsu doesn't care what everyone else does - just as long as it doesn't interfere with his own plans.  
He's fine with letting Juugo go - probably thinking that its better anyway, since he doesn't really like him and its a waste of time whenever Juugo shifts into crazy-mode.  
Also - i just realized that i said Suigetsu attacked Sai with his sword in the previous chapter but the Naruto clones took the sword so... i'm gonna say that suigetsu attacked sai with his... small sword. :D  
PROBLEM FIXED!

Plus, I wish someone would stab Karin.  
Hahaha, its my story and I could write that in but I didn't. I'm sure I had a reason. Pfft.

And one last thing - i hope it made Naruto's attack understandable.  
If not here's the explaination:  
so naruto summonded his giant shuriken and infused it with chakra using Asuma's Hein no Jutsu technique. He threw the shuriken at sasuke but what sasuke didn't know was that Naruto didn't summon a real shuriken but SIX clones, all of which were henged to look like shurikens. (think of the fight they had with Zabuza when Sasuke threw a giant shuriken and it had a second underneath it) So when sasuke dodged the first, it turned around and split into three then each of those split into two - making it a total of six. Three returned to their human-clone shape and threw the still-shuriken-henged clones at Sasuke. Since they're flesh-and-blood clones, when they henged into an object, they are real objects, able to be infused with chakra. Sasuke still manages to dodge the three - sort of. One gets close and Sasuke thinks he dodged it and then realizes, he was cut with the chakra. (remember asuma's fight with kisame?) When sasuke is distracted, naruto gets him with a clone spinning heel drop and knocks him out of the trees. ta-da!!! i hope that made sense.

Heh, I also hope you enjoyed!  
-4ng3legg


	22. Of Dogs And Men! Sasuke Is Confused!

Suigetsu ran, willy-nilly through the forest, pulling Karin along, searching for the body of water he knew was close.  
"We're going the wrong way!" Karin yelled as a low tree branch smacked her in the face, "_Jeez!_ Sasuke is the other way!" She spat out a mouthful of leaves.  
"I know that, Captain Obvious!" Suigetsu barked, "I need _water_. All this ink is making me sick." He stumbled to the ground and hurled.  
"You're leaving a trail, dammit!" Karin pointed to the puddles of ink-vomit.  
"H-hey…" Suigetsu moaned, climbing shakily to his feet, "S-shut up… sl-slut…"  
Karin growled and grabbed his arm, "You're even more pathetic than usual, Suigetsu." She pulled him along, "Jeez… they're comin' for us. We're in big fsking trouble."

Close to the edge of the shallow lake Suigetsu and Karin were searching for, stood two men. One held a huge sword, wrapped in gauze. The other had piercing red eyes.  
"I sense someone familiar approaches." Kisame said.  
Itachi nodded, slowly.  
Both were suddenly aware of a need to contact Konan.  
"They approach." Itachi repeated, "But we haven't the time to meet them."  
"Duty calls." Kisame said, cheerfully, "I wonder why Konan is contacting us and not _Pain_."

Naruto sprang backwards, once, _twice_ – barely avoiding Sasuke's blur of a sword.  
Sasuke drove the blade forward, aiming for Naruto's chest.  
Naruto dodged again and managed to catch the blade between his hands, "Oh, sh—!"  
Sasuke smirked and Naruto felt the shock of his Chidori as it pulsated from Sasuke's hand, into the blade and into Naruto's hands. Naruto disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Sasuke frowned and jumped away as Kakashi threw several kunai in his direction.  
"Tch." Sasuke groaned. He'd allowed one of Naruto's clones to distract him. One of Kakashi's kunai's managed to find its way into Sasuke's leg.  
Sasuke grabbed the handle of the kunai and pulled it from his leg, somewhat disturbed that they'd managed to wound him.

Naruto motioned silently to several of his clones. They nodded and sprang off into different directions.  
Kakashi appeared beside him, "Got him in the leg."  
Naruto nodded, "Got a plan."  
"You're becoming a better shinobi every day, Naruto." Kakashi said with a wink.  
Naruto managed a small smile. Kakashi's praise was rare and always desired.

Sasuke glanced around himself, his eyes burning red.  
A figure with chakra was running towards him.  
Sasuke spun his sword and lunged towards the figure.  
"Sasuke! No!"  
Sasuke managed to stop his sword just as the tip of the blade was an inch away from Karin's face.

"Karin." Sasuke muttered, "They captured you, you're not real."  
"Wait!" Karin shrieked, shielding her face, "I escaped, Sasuke-kun! I've been looking for you and running from the other Konoha shinobi. They're after me!"  
She looked around, panting, "Suigetsu... Juugo!"  
"What do you care… _Naruto_?" Sasuke kicked her away.

Karin tumbled several times and landed face-down. Her glasses clattered to the floor. She lifted her head slowly, "W-why S-sasuke…?"  
Sasuke stared down at her, "You managed to keep the _henge_, even when I hit you."  
Karin shook her head and spat out a mouthful of blood. Her head dropped and she lay still.  
"Jeez." A voice said from the shadows of the trees, "What'd you do to her, Sasuke?"  
Suigetsu walked out into the light, "I mean, I know she's an annoying _bitch_ but I thought she was your chosen teammate. Why'd you knock her out?"

"They got to water!" Kiba said, sniffing the air, "Dammit! I can barely move…"  
He sat on the floor, "Go on without me." He told Sakura as she tried to administer her medical jutsu, "You don't have time for this! I'm nearly all out of chakra. Go ahead, I'll try and stay out of the way."  
"Kiba-kun…" Sakura tried to argue.

"No! Go, Sakura-chan!" Kiba pushed her hands away, "I'll be fine. I'll catch up as soon as I catch my breath, yea? Go!"  
Sakura frowned, "Ok, but rest! Eat something, drink some water. Don't move around too much."  
"Yea, yea, go!"  
Sakura ran after Yamato, Sai, Shino and Juugo already racing to catch Sasuke's escaped teammates.

"Maybe you should stay with him." Sakura said to Juugo, "I don't want to leave him alone when he's been weakened."  
"I can't." Juugo said, "If I get an urge while _he's_ away," He motioned to Shino, "Then I'll kill your friend."  
"Akamaru will keep an eye on Kiba." Sakura argued, "But, if Sasuke sees you, he'll kill you for sure for rebelling."  
"Go." Shino said as a mass of bugs swarmed out behind him. They formed a loose shape of Shino and then a complete looking clone, "He'll stay with you."  
Juugo nodded and turned to return to Kiba's side.

Kiba looked up as Juugo landed in front of him.  
"What? Come back to finish me off?"  
The Shino-bug clone appeared beside Juugo.  
"Eh?"  
"The pink-haired medical-nin told me to keep an eye on you while you rest." Juugo said simply.

"Sakura-chan? Tch." Kiba frowned, "I don't anyone to look after me. Akamaru will protect me."  
Juugo bent to the huge dog, who was curled beside Kiba, "He's not in much shape to protect himself right now. That attack you did against Suigetsu took a lot of power."  
Juugo rubbed behind Akamaru's ears and leaned closer, "You're a strong being. What's your name?"  
"His name is…"

"Shh." Juugo murmured, "Let him speak."  
Kiba's eyebrow rose, "He hasn't learned to speak…"  
Akamaru barked twice.  
"Akamaru…" Juugo said, "That's a good name."  
"You… you can understand him?" Kiba asked, astonished.  
"I can communicate with all animals." Juugo answered shortly, "They're a lot less complicated than humans."

Kiba laughed and Juugo thought it sounded like a happy bark, "You're talkin' to the right guy." He looked at the Shino-clone, "Me and Shino utilize animals in battle."  
"Hmm, I've never really cared for shinobi's using animals in battle." Juugo murmured, "It doesn't seem right."  
"Ask Akamaru." Kiba said simply.  
Juugo's eyebrows rose and he looked at Akamaru, "Well? Is it right for him to use you in battle?"  
Akamaru looked over at Kiba. He nudge his thigh and looked back at Juugo.  
He barked several times and stopped. Juugo looked surprised.  
Kiba grinned, "What'd he say?"  
"He said he is proud to fight for his village and for his family. He said he is not being used as if he were a possession. He said he is a willing partner – an equal."

Sasuke stared at Suigetsu, "You were both captured. You're both henged Naruto-clones."  
Suigetsu raised an eyebrow, "We escaped, Sasuke. Karin managed to drag me to a lake – just about saved my life. Then we came looking for you."

"Wow!" A voice called from behind Sasuke.  
He turned and saw Suigetsu and Karin standing there, "He's good, I gotta say." The second Suigetsu said, "I almost believed that story."  
"And that Karin on the floor." The second Karin said, "W-why S-sasuke…?" She mimicked, "I got teary-eyed just seeing that."  
"Pretend-time is over." The second Suigetsu said, "I know you didn't want us to kill any of them, Sasuke but they're getting in the way. You go on ahead and we'll take care of them."  
"Him, anyway." Karin said with a smirk, "Looks like _she's_ already taken care of."

Sasuke swiveled around, "I can't tell who is who…" He said out loud, "They're all real. They all have chakra… but which ones are the fakes?"  
"They're the fakes!" The first Suigetsu roared, pointing to the others.  
"Oh yea…?" The second Suigetsu murmured. He reached behind a tree and pulled out Zabuza's sword.  
"If I was the fake…" The second Suigetsu said, "…then how could I possibly have _this_?"

* * *

I hope that made sense.  
Not much to explain, I don't think.  
But I think you guys know exactly who the fake Suigetsu and Karin are. But... does Sasuke!? 

I didn't want Juugo to get hurt so I sent him back to chat with Kiba and I figured, well, Juugo can talk to animals. Akamaru is a dog. 1 plus 1 equals 2!  
Hahahah.  
So Juugo finds a friend, sort of, in Kiba and later on, Shino - because they are cool. And they work with animals.  
I really like Juugo. I don't want him hanging around with Sasuke and the other two. I like Suigetsu but he seems like a bad guy. Hahaha, Juugo doesn't.  
Juugo deserves better than to be dragged around.

Oh-oh, Naruto is getting SMART! Yea, fool that Uchiha! Oh and I kind of got rid of Itachi and Kisame Konan needed to talk to them. About what though...? Hmm hmm... its a mystery.  
But they might pop up one more time before the story ends.  
Yea, the story is gonna end soon. I'm running out of ideas - i can only go so far, sticking to canon and I think I've reached my limit.  
I'll try and stretch it out as much as i can. :D

So great big thanks to all my loyal readers. You guys rock and I really hope you're enjoying the story.  
I know the chaps are shorty-short-short but I hope in this case its quality over quantity. XD  
So! One more time - a great big thanks to all the readers and all the people who have favorited and alerted this story and even cs2'd it!  
-throws cookies at you-

-4ng3legg


	23. Escape! Confusion! Our Story Ends!

Sasuke thrust his hands out to both Suigetsus.  
"_Chidori Nagashi!_"  
"Shit!"  
"No!"  
As the blast of electricity destroyed Naruto's clones, the group chasing Karin and Suigetsu appeared in the clearing. Everyone was covered in a cloud of smoke.

"Sasuke!"  
"What's going on?"  
"Hey! It's Sasuke!"  
"NINPOU! Coercion of Ink! Art of Entrapment!"  
"N-no!"  
"Get out of the way!"

"WHAT HAPPENED!?"  
Naruto jumped down to the clearing and stumbled through the cloud of smoke, cursing himself.  
"I caught someone." Sai was saying.  
"Who?" Yamato asked.  
"Are you sure it was one of them?" Shino asked, "And not one of us?"  
"No, it was definitely one of them." Sai said, examining his rolled-up scroll prison, "I just don't know who. I don't think its Suigetsu, though. He'd have escaped already, right?"

Sure enough, Sasuke, Suigetsu and Karin were gone.  
A pair of black glasses lay on the floor, crushed.  
Suigetsu's sword was gone.  
Yamato, Sai, Shino and Sakura stood, fanning the smoke out of their faces.  
Kakashi dropped down into the clearing, "Damn…"  
"They got away!" Naruto raged, "THEY GOT AWAY!"

Sasuke wasn't stupid. He'd taken the opportunity to escape when the smoke from the destroyed clones appeared.  
He'd managed to hit both Suigetsus – real and fake.  
The fake one disappeared – Naruto's clone. The fake Karin, apparently, disappeared too.  
Sasuke had to make a choice.

Suigetsu or Karin – which was worth more to his plan?  
But it didn't matter.  
The cloud of smoke obscured both. He grabbed the first body he reached, picked up the sword Naruto's clone had dropped and ran.  
Sasuke glanced back to see who he was dragging.

"Huh…" He said, "Good thing, too. I got your sword."  
Suigetsu groaned, "I can't believe you hit me too, you jerk."  
"I knew you'd survive." Sasuke said, simply.  
"Tch."

Naruto tried to trail after Sasuke once again but he'd used so many shadow clones that he was finally getting tired.  
He just couldn't catch up.  
The worst part?  
The group had been so focused on capturing Sasuke when they found him, they'd forgotten about Itachi and it was clear he was no longer in the forest either.

Kakashi and Yamato decided not to return to Konoha right away.  
Sai left briefly to deliver the captured prisoner to the Interrogation Squad and returned as soon as possible.  
He didn't have a chance to visit Hinata during his short return home but asked Tsunade about her and delivered the news to Naruto upon his return.  
"You didn't have to do that…" Naruto said, surprised that Sai had taken the initiative.  
"I know." Sai said, "But I know you are probably worried about her. Tsunade-sama said Hinata-chan was doing just fine and she is healing nicely. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have to worry about her. She's fine."

"T-thank you…" Naruto said, touched.  
As Sai turned to report to Kakashi and Yamato, Naruto called out to him, "Sai!"  
Sai turned, "Yes?"  
"You're a good friend."  
Sai looked genuinely surprised. He smiled, "You are, too, Naruto."

The group continued searching for both Itachi and Sasuke but they soon realized that both must have been on high alert and were taking extra measures to keep from detection.  
They returned home to Konoha three weeks after Hinata.

_Present Day_

"So you have a prisoner." Chouji said, "Who did it turn out to be?"  
"Karin." Sakura answered.  
"And Juugo-kun's been working with Tsunade-sama, Yamanaka Inoichi and myself." Shino said.  
"Ah. My father mentioned he was working on an important project with the Hokage." Ino noted, "How interesting! And has Juugo-kun been making progress?"

"He's doing much better. Tsunade-sama has been prescribing him different medicines to help change the chemical makeup in his brain that causes these flashes of rage. Yamanaka-san has been helping Juugo-kun to meditate and take control of his own mind." Sakura said.  
"What have you been doing?" Ino asked Shino.  
"Calming him when the rage manages to get through." Shino said, "But the instances are becoming far and in between. It's becoming rare."

As the group talked about Juugo's progress and wondered about what the Interrogation Squad managed to extract from Karin, Naruto wandered away, tugging his fingers from Hinata's.  
Hinata followed anyway.  
Naruto walked ahead, quiet in thought. After a few moments, Naruto stopped and let Hinata catch up to him.

"Are you… okay?" Hinata asked, touching his arm.  
Naruto gave her a half-hearted smile and nodded.  
They walked, in silence, to the top of the Hokage's heads. Naruto sat on his father's image.  
Hinata sat beside him and after a moment, Naruto pulled her into his arms.

Quiet by nature, Hinata waited for Naruto to speak. She rested her head against his chest and listened to his heart.  
Finally, Naruto drew in a deep breath and exhaled.  
"Retelling the events…" Naruto started, "It kind of made me depressed."  
Hinata sat up.

"I feel like I failed again." Naruto sighed.  
"The mission was a failure." Hinata said.  
Naruto's eyebrows rose.

"But Sasuke-kun knows that you still care enough to continue chasing him. Otherwise he wouldn't still be on such high alert. I don't know Sasuke-kun's intention after he kills his brother. Maybe he believes that he cannot possibly return to Konoha." Hinata shook her head, "But maybe, with the knowledge that someone in Konoha hasn't given up on him, he believes he can return. And if he does, it won't be easy, Naruto. No one will trust him. Only you and Sakura-chan and _maybe_ Kakashi-sensei. You're going to have to put all your faith into the bond you still hold dear to you, Naruto. In that sense, then, while the mission was a failure – any action you've taken in order to save your friend can never be called a mistake. You're not a failure."

Naruto stared at the pale-eyed girl in his arms.  
After a few moments of silence, she began to blush, "Say something, N-naruto."  
He smiled widely and kissed her.  
And that, Hinata thought, was better than anything he could have said.

Back at the group, Neji looked around in alarm, "Where are Naruto and Hinata!?"

_Fin_

* * *

So, that's all, folks. Yup. This is the last chapter.  
I know some of you might think that I cut it off to quickly, but I just couldn't come up with anything else.  
I'm just not inspired for this story anymore.  
I'm so sorry! But I am definitely pleased with how the story went.  
This was my very first fan-fic and I got a lot of wonderful reviews. 

I hope ya'll don't stop reading stuff from me.  
I have another story I'm working on right now called 'Girl Trouble' and...

Ta-da! I have a favor I'd like to ask ya'll.  
So, I'm kind of getting into steampunk (if you don't know what that is, just ask)  
so I want to do a whole fan-fic about the Naruto-universe as steampunk.  
I even want to do drawings. I did a piece in Oekaki of Naruto steampunked.  
So what I want to ask is: is anyone willing to collaborate with me? If not a whole collaboration, would anyone like to be a sounding board I can bounce ideas off of?

Please send me a message and if you want to see my oekaki piece of a steampunk'd Naruto, go to my user info page... thing-y. :P (I don't plan on doing all the pieces in oekaki as it hurts my hand too much. but i definately want to do some in pen-to-paper art, which i'll put up on my deviant art page.)  
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

-4ng3legg


	24. EPILOGUE

"Hotaru-chan!"  
Hotaru turned to face her mother, shading her sensitive white eyes from the sun behind her mother's head, "Yea, Mom?"  
"Where are your siblings? Your father is going to be home soon and I want you all to be ready for dinner."  
"Ano…" Hotaru grinned and pushed her black hair behind her ears, "Minato, Kakashi, Iruka and Sasuke are hiding from Hitomi. They're playing hide-and seek."

Hotaru looked out at the yard. Hitomi - a giggling blond three-year-old with white eyes was on her knees, looking under some bushes.  
Behind Hitomi a bush shook and Hotaru heard muffled laughter."  
"Gotcha!" Hitomi cried, turning to the shaking bush, "Come out, Sasuke-kun! I know it's you!"  
A black-haired, blue-eyed six-year-old boy tumbled out, "Okay! Okay, you got me, Hitomi-chan!"

"Shh!" Hotaru heard someone whispering, "Be quiet, dork!"  
"_You_ be quiet!"  
"I hear you!" Hitomi cried, "Kakashi-kun! Iruka-kun! I'm gonna find you next!"

Hotaru turned to her mother, "I'm sure she'll find them and Minato in a minute… okay?"  
"Why aren't you playing with them?"  
Hotaru flushed, "_Mother_ – I'm eight-years-old! I can't play kiddy games!"  
"Ha!" Sasuke cried, running up to his older sister, "Whatever, Hotaru! She's lying, Mom. Hitomi found her first!"  
"Shaddup, Sasuke!" Hotaru barked.

"GOTCHA!" Hitomi cried, dragging a blond, blue eyed boy from behind a tree, "I got you, Minato-kun!"  
The ten-year-old grinned, "Okay, Hitomi-chan, you got me." He walked over to his siblings, "Did you say something about dinner, Mom?"  
"Is Kushina going be home for dinner?" Hotaru asked, "Or is she on another mission?"  
"No mission, Kushina will be home for dinner." Her mother assured her.

"I FOUND YOU!" Hitomi pulled her brothers over to her mother, "See, Mommy? I found Kakashi-kun and Iruka-kun."  
"You sure did, Hitomi-chan." Minato said, ruffling his brother's heads, "You got the twins!"  
"Quit it." Kakashi grumbled, smoothing out his red hair and narrowing his white eyes.  
"Yea, quit it." Iruka repeated, also smoothing out his red hair and narrowing his white eyes.

"Let's count to make sure, okay, Hitomi?" Their mother said, "Everyone line up in order of oldest to youngest!"  
"Kushina-chan's not here!" Hitomi said, "She's at the front, right?"  
"Right."  
"One is Kushina! Two: Minato-kun, three: Hotaru-chan, four: Kakashi-kun…"  
"Only by two minutes!" Iruka muttered.  
"And don't you forget it!" Kakashi smirked.  
"Five: Iruka-kun, six: Sasuke-kun and I'm the seventh!" Hitomi clapped, "Yay!"

"That's right, Hitomi-chan." Minato said, picking up his little sister, "You're the seventh!"  
Hitomi pulled on her brother's blond hair, "Just like mine, niichan!" She said, tugging on her own bright yellow hair.

A red-haired, brown eyed 12-year-old poked her head out of the house, "Hey! I get home and there's no one to greet me! What's everyone doing out here?"  
"Kushina-neechan!" Hitomi squealed, "You're hooome!"  
Kushina grinned and pulled her little sister into her arms, "I'm home! Where's Dad? I'm starving!"  
"That's a good question." Their mother said, "Your father should be home any minute now."  
--

The Seventh Hokage scribbled furiously, "Konohamaru! HEY, KONOHAMARU!"  
"I'm right here!" Konohamaru said, appearing beside the Hokage's elbow, "Stop yelling, Nanadaime-sama! What do you need?"  
"I _need_ to finish this up. I don't want to be late for dinner."  
"Are you hungry? I can bring you dinner."  
"No, no. Kushina doesn't have a mission tonight so everyone has to be home for dinner. They'll be so disappointed in me if I don't make it on time."

"Okay, okay. Well, these should be the last of the paperwork for tonight." Konohamaru looked over the papers, "Looks like everything is fine. I'll look them over more carefully and if I see any mistakes, I'm sure they can be taken care of tomorrow morning."  
"Great! Thanks Konohamaru. I need you'd be a great assistant when I chose you."  
Konohamaru grinned, "Good night, Nanadaime-sama."  
"I wish you wouldn't call me that. You know my name, boy. Use it."  
Konohamaru shrugged and left the room.

The Hokage sat back in his chair to take a breath before making his way home to the Hokage's Palace.  
His eyes drifted up to the pictures of the previous Hokages.  
The two faces at the end always brought about a barrage of memories.  
The Godaime and the Rokudaime. Fifth and Sixth.

The Hokage had to laugh, remembering when he'd seen the carved face of the Sixth in the Hokage's Mountain.

_"You moron!" He'd yelled at the Sixth, "You had yourself carved with your stupid mask on!?"  
The Sixth had laughed, "If I hadn't, no one would know who it was!"  
"Unbelievable, Kakashi-sensei… ne, I mean, Rokudaime-sama."  
"Tch – like you would ever call me that! Anyway, I keep forgetting that people are trying to talk to me when they say Rokudaime! Haha!"  
A man knocked on the door of the Hokage's office, "Rokudaime-sama, I have some more papers for you to look over, oh! Hello, I didn't know you were here…"  
"Iruka-sensei! So you're Kakashi-sensei's new assistant?"  
"Yup, after he ran poor Yamashiro Aoba off with his tyranny." Iruka joked.  
"Aoba-kun decided to take the position of a Jounin team leader," Kakashi huffed, "I did not run him off. Stop telling people that, Iruka-kun."_

The Seventh Hokage grinned at the memory. Now that _he_ was the Hokage, Kakashi had decided to stay on as a part of the Official Council of Konoha and one of two special counselors to the Seventh. The other being, of course, Iruka.  
Suddenly, he sat up in alarm. He was going to be late!  
--

"Uzumaki Naruto."  
"H-hinata! I… I had some paperwork to finish, I'm so sorry!"  
Hinata smiled, unable to stay mad at her blond husband, "Come on. Everyone is waiting for you."  
"All the kids are home?"  
"Yes, you were taking so long that they invited _their_ friends over so of course, I invited _our_ friends and it turned into a whole party." Hinata laughed, "I think half the village is here."  
Naruto didn't mind. He loved the village and the people in it. He was, after all, the Seventh Hokage.  
--

"Shikamaru!"  
Shikamaru turned slightly, "Eh? Hey, Naruto. How's running the village going for you?"  
Naruto laughed, "I can finally see why you never reached for the position. All the paperwork, Shikamaru! It's so… _troublesome_."  
Shikamaru laughed.  
"Where's Temari?"

"She's somewhere around here. We just got back from the Village of Sand – visiting her brothers."  
"Yea? I just saw Gaara recently. He was accompanying the Rokudaime Kazekage as a member of the Sand Council. He looks the same as he ever did."  
"Yea, and Kankuro is the same as ever, too. Still looking for Ms. Right and finding Ms. Right Now."  
Shikamaru and Naruto laughed, "And your daughter, Shikamaru? How is she?"

"Ne, you should know, Naruto! You just appointed her a Jounin."  
"Yea and with the way she's going she'll be an ANBU Captain by the end of the year." Naruto grinned, "Shika's a smart girl."  
"Of course!" Shikamaru nodded, "Her mother's good looks and brains and _my_ brains – she's a super-genius."

"So it's a good thing she's in _my _team!" A pretty blond 12-year-old said, laughing, "Hello, Nanadaime-sama!"  
"Ah, Akimichi Cho-chan. How are you?"  
"Good, Nanadaime-sama! Thank you for inviting me into your home. Excuse me, I must find Shika-chan."  
Naruto turned back to Shikamaru, "Where are Chouji and Ino, anyway?"

"Didn't you hear? Ino went into labor this afternoon – they're still at the hospital. Sakura said the baby is going to take its sweet time."  
"Poor Chouji." Naruto laughed, "I know how _that_ feels."  
"Seven kids, Naruto? Yea, I should hope so."  
"Ne – I just wanted to fill the world with more ninjas." Naruto grinned, "You should be giving Temari more kids!"  
"Oh no – one is fine, thank you."

"Hey! Naruto!" A hand grabbed his shoulder, "I haven't seen you since you sent me off on my last mission!"  
"Kiba!" Naruto said, turning, "Hey, how are you?"  
"Just fine." Kiba grinned.  
"And your fiancé? Gekkou Shizuka?"

"She's good, Naruto. I'm glad you remembered her name." Kiba laughed.  
"How could I forget her? She's so opposite of you, Kiba! Where is Akamaru?"  
"Outside, playing with all the kids." Kiba grinned wildly, "I can't wait to have a whole litter of kids!"  
Naruto grinned. Poor Shizuka. A whole litter of Kiba's kids. Sheesh!

"Naruto-kun…"  
"Eh?" Naruto turned and saw a familiar hooded face, "Shino!"  
Whether or not Shino was smiling, Naruto could not tell, "How are you?"  
"Fine, Naruto. You just saw me, though, earlier when I turned in my report of Team Shino's mission. Don't you… _remember_?"

Naruto laughed, "Of course I remember, Shino, I'm not crazy. Are your students here?"  
"Yes… they're here. But they haven't been my students for quite some time, Naruto. They are my equal teammates."  
"Please, they'll always be your cute little students." Naruto laughed, thinking of his own team – Team Naruto – before Naruto was appointed the Seventh Hokage.  
All three were now in their late teens and were leading teams of their own.  
Naruto had, of course, taught them well.

"Nanadaime-sama."  
Naruto grinned, "Sai. How are you?"  
Sai smiled, not quite genuinely, "I am fine, Nanadaime-sama. How are you?"  
"I'm great, Sai and I don't want you to call me Nanadaime. I'm Naruto, Sai. The guy you always made fun of during the first years of our friendship."  
Sai blushed.  
It had taken years but Sai had finally learned how to emote. His smile, though, was not always real.

"Y-you still remember that?"  
Naruto laughed, "It was the first impression I ever had of you, Sai. How can I forget?"  
"T-tomorrow, N-na… ah, Naruto… I must talk to you and the council members about issues with the ANBU."  
"Of course, of course." Naruto nodded, "But tomorrow. Not tonight. Tonight your only ANBU mission is to enjoy yourself."  
Sai smiled genuinely and nodded, "Of course."

Sai disappeared into the crowd of people and Naruto thought about how vital Sai had been during the time Kakashi was the Hokage.  
Kakashi destroyed all traces of ANBU Root, from the outside and from the inside – with the help of Sai.  
While there was opposers of Kakashi being Hokage and later, of Naruto being Hokage, there was nothing as strong as ANBU Root had been. Destroying the group proved Kakashi to be a formidable Hokage – one who would not be threatened by ghosts of the past.  
Now Naruto had employed Sai as the Head over all ANBU operations.  
--

Naruto moved the mass of people and found Hinata at an open door watching her children outside.  
"Hello." He murmured, coming up behind her, "How are you?"  
Hinata smiled and rested her head against his shoulder, "Good. How was today?"  
"Paperwork, paperwork and then lunch and then there was some more paperwork and then a snack and some _more_ paperwork and then I got to appoint some people to Jounin. In between some of that paperwork, I assigned some missions and then I was counseled by Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei until I thought my ears were bleeding aaaaaand then I did some paperwork. I think I'm brain-dead."  
Hinata laughed, "After all your missions as a shinobi of Konoha, Naruto, you always managed to come back alive. Are you telling me that after all that, the thing that's going to kill you is paperwork?  
"Either paperwork or Kakashi and Iruka's lectures."

"Dad!" Sasuke called, "You're here!"  
"Hey Dad!" Minato called, "When did you get here?"  
"Dad!" Kakashi and Iruka called at the same time, "Hey, Hitomi! Dad's here!"  
Hitomi was sitting atop a huge white dog, "DADDY!" She shrieked, "LOOK! I'M ON THE BIG DOG!"  
Akamaru nodded towards Naruto, "Nanadaime-sama."  
"Tch – you know better than to call me that, Akamaru. How long have you known me? Since I was a smart-ass brat in the Academy."  
Akamaru wagged his tail, "Hey, I was right there with you. Still wetting the carpet."  
The two chuckled.

"YOSH!"  
Naruto grinned, knowing that familiar voice, "LEE!"  
"NARUTO!"  
"Ne – I thought you'd be with Sakura." Naruto said, laughing.  
"She doesn't need my help delivering Ino's baby!" Lee laughed, "But Inoue is here, too. She's running around with Cho and Shika."

Naruto grinned. Inoue was beautiful, like her mother with bright pink hair and wide black eyes. All her clothes were pink and green – a true testament of her parentage. She specialized in taijutsu, like her father and was faster and stronger than anyone could possibly imagine.  
Cho was blond and vivacious like her mother and she specialized in the mind-control jutsu passed down from her mother. The only thing – Cho was slightly chubby but none of the young guys her age seemed to care. Cho was definitely popular.  
Shika had her father's dark hair and quiet disposition. She was a genius, though, as to be expected from her genius parents. While Inoue and Cho talked constantly, Shika remained quiet and observant.

"Dad!" Kushina called, seeing him, "Our mission was a success!"  
"Well done!" Naruto said, "Of course it was a success, Kushina! You were there!"  
Kushina laughed and returned to talking with her teammates. One of which was her second-cousin, Hyuuga Takahiro. Takahiro had inherited his father's white eyes. Just as four of Naruto's own children had from their mother. Thankfully, however, Takahiro inherited his mother's nice personality. He was a miniature version of Neji – just with a smile and a happy laugh.

"Where is Neji and Tenten, anyway?" Naruto asked Hinata.  
"Neji said he couldn't make it because he was dealing with 'family matters'. I deemed it unnecessary to ask further. And you know, Tenten. Where Neji is, so she can be found."

'Everything is in place.' Naruto thought as he hugged his wife, 'And while it won't always be perfect, I can enjoy tonight with my friends and my family.'  
It wasn't perfect, of course. Naruto had lost friends – Tsunade, Jiraiya, Gai and Kurenai had all fallen in battle during an attack from The Hidden Village of Rain.  
Kurenai's daughter, Sarutobi Amaya, had grown up, though, adopted and raised by Shikamaru and Temari who married at a young age. Amaya was now an accomplished genjutsu user, like her mother, and a Chuunin. When she graduated the academy, she moved out of Shikamaru and Temari's home to live on her own. While thankful, of course, for the people she called her 'brother' and 'sister', Amaya was a loner and was happier by herself.

He'd lost a dear friend, of course. But maybe not forever.  
Sasuke had nearly died fighting Itachi.  
In the end, though, Sasuke won out and killed his brother.  
He survived and returned to Konoha for one night.  
Even in the midst of the happy party, Naruto could remember that rainy night.  
-

_Naruto awoke with a start.  
__Everything was quiet but he knew something was out of place.  
__The rain had drowned out any noises. There had been a power outage. It was pitch black in Naruto's small apartment.  
__Naruto reached beneath his pillow and grabbed his kunai, "Who's there?"  
Soft laughter in the dark._

_Naruto leapt up and flung the kunai in the direction of the sound.  
__No sound of a hit.  
__A flutter of noise. Naruto ducked down and rolled beneath his table._

"_Calm down, Dumb-ass. It's me."  
"S-sasuke…?" Naruto stayed beneath his table.  
"Tch."  
__Naruto didn't believe him. What would Sasuke be doing in his apartment suddenly?_

_"Who is it _really_? Itachi…?"  
"No… hmm… Itachi is dead. I killed him. Finally."  
Naruto frowned, "I don't believe its Sasuke. Who are you?"  
A match flared and a candle was lit._

_By the light of the fire, Naruto could see, there stood Sasuke.  
"A Henge is not a hard jutsu."  
Sasuke almost smiled. He blinked and his eyes were red._

_Naruto moved out from beneath the table, "You always said you were going to kill me, Sasuke. Come back to finish the job?"  
"Tch – I never wanted to kill you, Naruto. But if you had continued to interfere, I would have had to."  
"So…? Are you gonna kill me?"  
"No." Sasuke set the candle down on the table and sat down, "I've accomplished one of my goals. Itachi is dead. There would be no reason for me to kill you, Naruto." _

"Then what are you doing here? Are you staying…? For good?"  
"No." Sasuke said simply, "Konoha is no longer my home. That has been decided long ago."  
"That's not true!" Naruto argued, "This is still your home, Sasuke!"  
"Naruto – you're so naïve. I don't want to return. It is a good village, I acknowledge that but it is not where I want to be. It's as simple as that."  
"Then why are you here!?"  
"To say goodbye." 

"_G-goodbye?"  
"I'm leaving, Naruto. I'm going to travel the world. I think I might even cross the ocean and see what's over there. In time, I may settle down. Then I would work towards my second goal: reviving my clan."  
_"_Then I'm never going to see you again?"  
Sasuke was quiet for a long time. _

Finally, he sighed, "I don't know, Naruto. Probably not but… maybe. Maybe I'll see you but you won't see me."  
"Is it possible for you to ever return to Konoha… permanently?"  
"Tch – you've always had a one-track mind, Naruto. But I'll say this – I won't say no and I won't say yes. Good enough?"  
Naruto was quiet, "Are you going to see Sakura?"  
The corner of Sasuke's mouth lifted just barely, "I've already seen her."

"What did she say?"  
"She didn't see me." Sasuke said simply, "But it's late, Naruto and time for me to go."  
Naruto watched the young man climb out of the window.  
"_Goodbye, Naruto."  
Naruto smirked, "See ya'."  
Sasuke nodded and disappeared.  
- _

Over the years, Naruto imagined he saw Sasuke – sometimes in the strangest of places.  
Maybe he had imagined it and maybe Sasuke allowed himself to be seen.  
Either way, Naruto knew, life wasn't _perfect_ and it never would be.  
But standing in the palace of the Hokage, holding his wife in his arms, seeing his children growing up happily and hearing the happy roar of his friends made Naruto think,  
'No, it's not perfect. But it's definitely great.'

* * *

OK - a proper goodbye.

Let me explain some stuff.

Naruto and Hinata's kids are as follows:  
Kushina, 12, female, red hair, brown eyes  
Minato, 10, male, blond, blue eyes  
Hotaru, 8, female, black hair, white eyes  
Kakashi, 7, male, red hair, white eyes  
Iruka, 7, male, red hair, white eyes  
Sasuke, 6, male, black hair, blue eyes  
Hitomi, 3, female, blond hair, white eyes

Got it? Good.  
So Hotaru means 'firefly' or 'lightening bug' and since almost everyone else is named after someone, Hotaru is named after Hinata's mother. (Her mother's name is never mentioned so I made one up.)  
Hitomi means: 'pupil' and its given to girls with especially beautiful eyes.  
I love the fact that Sasuke has black hair like the real Sasuke. (It comes from Hinata's side.)

I'm going to draw a picture of the entire family and try to color it (can't promise I will color it) but when I do, I'll post it on my Deviant Art page (username: AngelEggie)  
and if you want to see it, send me a message and I'll send you a note when I finally get it up. (I promise! I will!)

Onwards!

So, Konohamaru is Naruto's assistant.  
Kakashi was the Sixth Hokage - Rokudaime - (based on the part of the manga where Tsunade and Jiraiya are talking about who could follow Tsunade. They mentioned Kakashi was a given.)  
Naruto is the Seventh - Nanadaime. (Thanks to SilverWarrior for bring this out to me: It can also be Shichidaime - shichi means 7)

If you want to continue on, it'll go to Hachidaime (8th), Kyuudaime (9th), and Juudaime (10th).  
There's some info for you.

Kakashi's face is carved on the mountain - mask ON! Heck, yea!  
Kakashi and Iruka are alive and well. They're on the official council.

Shikamaru married Temari  
adopted daughter, Sarutobi Amaya (means: night rain)  
daughter, Shika (means: deer)

Gaara is alive and on council for Sand Village.  
Kankuro is alive and is naughty.

Chouji married Ino  
daughter, Cho (means: butterfly)

Sakura married Lee  
daughter, Inoue (means: above the well, i think. But its got the first letters - Ino, so I grabbed it.)  
The three girls, Shika, Cho and Inoue make up the third generation team.  
All girls because the original group was all boys.

Kiba getting married (finally) to Gekkou Shizuka (Gekkou, you might remember was the surname of Gekkou Hayate - the ninja who was always coughing and was later killed. So they're related somehow. I don't know how. I made her up. Heh, the surname means 'moonlight'; Shizuka means 'quiet'.)

Shino not married. I always imagine him to be a 'cool' teacher. Single, though.  
But Kakashi and Iruka never married either and that's okay with me.  
(I'm not implying anything about K and I - I'm not a fan of yaoi)

Sai is head over all ANBU operations.  
Good for him.  
Also single. Too weird for me to put him with someone. Ha!  
I still love him.

Neji married Tenten  
son, Takahiro  
Looks like Neji, acts like Tenten (thank goodness)  
The story is: Hinata stepped down as Heir and requested Neji replace her.  
So now Neji is Head of Hyuuga. I'm sure Naruto helped in that somehow.

Yea, I killed off Tsunade, Jiraiya, Gai and Kurenai. I'm sorry.  
I had to. People had to die and as much as I like all those characters, that's a part of the life of a ninja.

Sasuke is gone. Who knows where? Maybe he never left at all.

Well, hope you enjoyed and that everything made sense. :D See ya'll around!  
-4ng3legg


End file.
